Search Results for 'long-distance swimmer'

Ninety years ago, on August 2, 1931, the world famous long-distance swimmer, Miss Mercedes Gleitz, attempted to swim from the Aran Islands to Salthill. She did in fact manage to swim from Inis Meán to Spiddal in 18 hours 43 minutes, a distance of 18 miles as the crow flies, but it was estimated that with currents, etc, she covered a distance of nearly 30 miles. Two days later she gave a swimming demonstration in Salthill and presented a cup to the Chamber of Commerce to be presented to the school in the county which presented the greatest number of swimmers in relation to its student numbers. She stimulated a lot of interest in the sport, which had received a terrific boost just a few months before with the formation of two clubs, Blackrock Swimming Club and Galway Swimming Club. This guaranteed competition between the clubs and quickly helped raise standards.

David Conradie who is a member of Atlantic Masters Swimming Club Galway is the first Galway resident to achieve the momentous task of swimming the 35kms from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland to Portpatrick in Scotland. The North Channel is known as one of the hardest of the Seven Ocean Channels due to its colder temperatures, strong tides and currents, which means a swimmer may swim in excess of 45kms, and the infestation of lions manes jellyfish that can stop a swimmer in their tracks with their stings.