Swimming to help

Later this month two members of the Carlingford Swimmers will take to the water to raise much needed funds for SOSAD (save our sons and daughters). Carlingford locals Harry Jordan and John Savage will swim from Omeath to Carlingford, a challenging distance of almost 5 miles in a bid to raise money for this essential service and to encourage others to consider open water swimming.

SOSAD is a front-line service working to improve suicide awareness and prevention. ‘SOSAD also work to promote emotional resilience in the community, and that’s one of the reasons this fundraiser is so brilliant,’ says John.

Harry been swimming in the waters of Carlingford Lough for over 35 years.

‘I was swimming solo, literally on my own and sometimes found it a very lonely and occasionally frightening out in the Lough on my own,’ he explains. ‘With the growth of Open Water swimming, I decided to set up the group over two years ago.’

Now the group has over 400 members from all over the world, which he says can be put down to Carlingford being designated as a qualifying centre for Channel swims.

‘ The qualification for solo Channel swimmers is an 8 to 10 hour swim in togs or costume only and for relay teams a two hour swim under the same conditions.’

Carlingford Lough is the venue for the Hit The Wall challenge each May when over 200 aspiring Channel and long distance swimmers come to train and compete with their peers over the course of the weekend, which is run by Infinity Channel Swimming, a Camlough based pilotage and Channel training group.

‘One of the main events is called The Battle of Carlingford Lough and is almost 8km long, from Omeath to Carlingford but the distance is not always the main consideration, tide curon the track are set out by our club coaches.

The Club would like to thank all its members for their cooperation throughout this difficult time. We acknowledge our community for everything that they have done to keep our families and loved ones= safe and well during this pandemic. We would like to thank all our frontline workers for the work they have done and continue to do.

New protocols will be in place at Glenmore AC track. Our club coaches are familiar with all necessary steps required, and we will have Covid officers present when the facility is open. The club respects any members who do not wish to avail of the facilities just yet, and once again we would like to state that the facility is closed to members of the public, use of the track rent and wind are the hardest obstacles,’ says Harry. ‘ This year given the pandemic it was cancelled, and John and I decided to keep the event alive even if only one of us was to complete the swim.’

Harry was one of the 137 entrants in last year’s Battle and he has the distinction of finishing 98th, which was last. However, to put things into perspective 39 swimmers were unable to complete the course.

Conditions at the time was so bad that the normal cut off time of three hours was extended by another 30 minutes.

‘I battled on and refused to be pulled out’ recalls Harry, who is 65-years-old. When he was asked why, he explained ‘I was 800 metres from home and I wanted to show my two grandkids that giving up was not an option.’

‘Despite finishing last, (and I have no shame in it) I finished the year with a Northern Hemisphere ranking of 313th, and a World ranking of 495th.’

Another of the tasks set for those aiming to complete the Channel Swim is to submerge in an ice bath then swim.

While this year’s event had to be cancelled, Harry and John have continued to swim in the Lough, within their designated distance. Over the past two months they have each clocked up 100km in the water.

‘We swim all year around but distances drop dramatically when temperature drop as there too many risks and dangers, as your body core temperature is on the verge of what is safe,’ he explains.

‘Our lowest temperature swim was in February last year when the water was 3.9c,’ adds Harry, who only managed 200m or so before the cold forced him out of the water.

The growing popularity of open sea swimming is highlighted by the fact that Harry was the only one for the 1985 Christmas swim. The following year he was joined by three is for registered Glenmore AC members only.

We wish everybody well and will continue to update everybody as circumstances develop.

In just over two weeks proother swimmers and over 100 people took part in the 2019 event.

His companion in SOSAD fundraiser is John Savage, who comes from a family with a long tradition of connections with the sea as his late father John Snr was instrumental in setting up the Dundalk Sub Aqua Club. John Jnr joined the group last year, coming from a background of swimming/diving beneath the waves and has taken to Open Water swimming like a duck to water.

Harry notes that in 2018 there were 109 drownings in the Republic, of which 39 were by suicide and 12 more ‘suspicious’, with the balance being boating vided the public health situation continues to improve the Cooley Kickhams club members will be returning to a situation whereby club pitches will reopen.

In anticipation of that happening we would like to say a huge thank you to our entire community for everything you have done to keep loved ones safe in the unprecedented situation of a global pandemic. We particularly salute all our frontline workers across the NHS, care sector and voluntary sector for the role you all played. We are proud of the small but significant role the club played in helping with the collection and distribution of PPE and food supplies to those most in need.

Over the coming two weeks we will be preparing for the return to play and things will have changed since March but