Big turnout as the Lough Gill Swim finally returns!

AFTER a three year absence the Lough Gill North West Hospice swim was back with great success. The Lough Gill North West Hospice 10k swim started 13 years ago in memory of Neil McGarry who passed away as a result of cancer on his 30th birthday in the care of the North West Hospice.

This event has grown with 50 swimmers now swimming in the 10k swim and remained capped at that number.

This year Don O’Connor swam the original one-mile swim alongside other swimmers and won the Cidona Cup. This was the first time the original swim was reactivated thanks to Don. The relay event was won by the Doggy Paddlers featuring Kenneth Loftus, Charlene Carty, Ian Monaghan and Angela Carr. The family fun day was a great success with many people making the best of the fabulous weather and the beautiful trees by the river provided much-needed shade from the sun throughout the day.

The first 10k swimmer home in ‘skins’ (no wetsuit) won the

Neil McGarry Perpetual Trophy donated by Neil’s mum and dad, Phil and Desmond McGarry. This year the first ‘skins’ swimmer out of the water was Paul de Ward, who emerged happy and elated having completed a great swim.

The first wetsuit male swimmer was Raymond Yorke and Collette English was the first female wetsuit swimmer out of the water.

All money raised on the day is to be donated to the North West Hospice. Since its inception, the swim has now raised more than €400,000.

Trudi Lomax from Mullaghmore with a picture of her grandfather Bernard Collery, Mayor of Sligo 1882-1884.

Marie Askin from Ballyshannon, descendant of Owen Roe O’Neill, with John Taylor and the book Owen Roe O’Neill by John Francis Taylor originally from Riverstown.