Leinster Connections…

 

Connecting Outdoor + Openwater Swimmers and Dippers

 

Leinster Open Sea Swimming Sea Swimming in Dublin and Leinster. Leinster Open Sea and the Sea Swimming Clubs of Leinster run the Leinster Open Sea Calendar of Sea Swimming Races. Leinster Open Sea runs the two most prestigious sea swimming races in Ireland the Dublin City Liffey Swim and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Race.  Website Leinster Open Sea Swimming

 

Co Dublin

40 Foot Walrus Winter Swimming Group

A Small group of swimmers who promote Winter/Ice Swimming , based at the 40 Foot in Sandycove, Ireland. Established 1850.

East Coast of Ireland Open Water Swimming Based at Killiney Beach, Dublin. Our Mission is to encourage all levels safely into open water swimming regardless of what you wear all welcome

 

Co Louth

Carlingford Swimmers Skins and wetsuit. Contact Harry G Jordan

 

Co Wicklow

Wicklow Swimming Club The Club is, traditionally, a Sea Swimming club with races taking place in Wicklow Harbour, the picturesque Wicklow Bay, and the Vartry river which enters the sea at Wicklow Harbour. The sea swimming season runs from the first Sunday in June to the end of August.

 

Co Wexford

Wexford Masters Openwater Seaswimming Club Sea swimming club based at Curracloe Beach. Website Wexford Sea Swimming Club

 

Disclaimer; These are connections to like-minded folks – Please remember everyone swims at their own risk.

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Promote your Group or Club

We’ve been inundated with requests about where individuals can find groups/clubs who swim or dip outdoors around our coastline and waterways. We have decided to publish an online resource for information of such groups/clubs on www.wildswim.wordpress.com.

Any Openwater, Outdoor Swimming group or club who wish for their info to be put on our online resource please email swimfree4@gmail.com with contact info i.e. a contact Name, Facebook page link, Website, Email etc, also whether skins only, wetsuit only or both and general times that your group or club meet.

We hope this will give individuals looking for some company an easy way to find connections in their locality.

“Safety in numbers!”

100th Liffey Swim & Jack B Yeats

Photography by Paul McCambridge

Words by Maureen McCoy

Dublin City and its swimmers are justly proud of this iconic event now about to celebrate its 100^th birthday. With Jack B Yeats 1923 painting “The Liffey Swim” the inspiration for a re-enactment photograph in which Yeats had won an Olympic medal in 1924. A crowd of swimmers and spectators assembled at Custom House Quay dressed in period regalia. Some boarded the vintage tram carriage (one of Irelands last remaining) overlooking the water, while others lined the foreground, craning over the wall to wave and cheer the swimmers below.

Six past Liffey Swim winners had the honour of this pre-event dip, including Siobhán Hoare-O’Driscoll, Ladies winner in 1991. They waved up to us on our high perch as we cheered, holding onto our hats lest they be blown into the river!

Bert O’Brien 2 Times Winner of the Liffey Swim

The Dublin skyline and port has changed significantly since Yeats day as has the swim. For many years it was the men’s domain but in more recent years women have been coming to the fore.

This year, on the 100^th Liffey swim, the organisers expect more than 500 participants, all of whom have had to swim six of Leinster Open Sea Swimming qualifying events to be eligible for a place.

The swim itself is on 3^rd August and swimmers will start at Rory O’Moore Bridge for the 2,200m swim, passing under 11 of the City’s key bridges to finish at Custom House Quay;

• Rory O’Moore Bridge
• James Joyce Bridge
• Liam Mellow
• Bridge Father
• Mathew Bridge
• O’Donvan Rossa Bridge
• Grattan Bridge
• Millenium Bridge
• Liffey Bridge (Halfpenny Bridge)
• O’Connell Bridge
• Butt Bridge
• Rosie Hackett Bridge
• Loop Line Bridge

 

A commemorative stamp depicting Yeats painting and celebrating the centenary will be available from 1^st August from An Post.

For a more comprehensive history of the swim and info on their Sea Swim events check out Leinster Open Sea Swimming