On the North Down coast there are among the many open water swimming groups, the Chunky Dunkers at Donaghadee and the Brompton Beaus and Belles near Carnalea and no doubt some of them plus dozens of other will be part of the annual Pickie to Pier swim in Bangor Bay.

The name Pickie apparently originated from the 1800s and 1900s when there was a rock there called Pickie Rock, so named as it was a great place to catch Pickies - a Scots and Ulster-Scots word for the small Coley or Blockan.

Organised by the Open House Festival which has recently acquired and renovated the old Courthouse on Bangor’s seafront so apart from holding many music and arts event, has turned its hand to the famous long established 800m course from the west side of Bangor Bay to the Eisenhower Pier on the east.

The Swim will return to Bangor on Saturday 6th July for its fifth outing as part of Open House Festival’s Seaside Revival initiative, and there’s a significant change to this year’s route. In a nod to the original race, which ran from 1910 until the mid-1980s, the 200 participants will now swim an 800-metre course from Skippingstone Beach on the west side of the Bangor Bay to Pickie, the site of a Fun Park at Pickie to the tip of the Eisenhower Pier, and then loop back to the starting point at Skippingstone.

The Pickie to Pier Swim will return to Bangor on Saturday 6th July for its fifth outing as part of Open House Festival’s Seaside Revival initiative

After a 30-year absence, the legendary swim was resurrected by Open House in 2019 to spectacular success. Following a break in 2020 due to COVID-19, it has now become a regular summer event again, with hundreds of onlookers gathering each year to cheer the swimmers on. For the previous four races, the participants swam a straight course from Skippingstone to the RNLI slipway at Bangor Marina, but the organisers decided it was time to revert to the original race route.

“When we brought the event back to life in 2019 we thought a direct route from the beach to the pier would be best,” says event organiser Sharon Matchett from Open House, but to mark the fifth year of the new race, we decided to step it up a notch with a U-turn back to the starting point. The course is only an extra 50 metres in length, but it will probably look more to the swimmers.”

The new route will create more of a carnival atmosphere at the event, especially as the spectators can watch the entire race from the beach and adjacent coastal path. Swimmers will be treated to free yoga classes from the Salty Yogi, and breathwork lessons from Scott Riley, who trained with the world-renowned ‘iceman’, Wim Hof. And to add to the proceedings, Olympian Andrew Bree from Helen’s Bay, who represented Ireland in the breaststroke at the Beijing and Sydney Olympics, will provide commentary as the swimmers prepare to depart, and as they return to shore, interviewing the winner and runners up.

Last year, an all-female podium was achieved for the second successive year, with two visiting elite open water swimmers from the USA, Catherine Breed and Felicia Lee, taking first and third place respectively. Bangor’s own Jessika Robson, who had won the race in 2022 and 2021, finished in the runner-up spot. Jessika went on to become the youngest swimmer to cross the North Channel in October 2023, and she’ll be sure to get a rapturous welcome from the crowd if she returns to try and reclaim her Pickie to Pier crown.

“Of course, this event isn’t just about the winners,” said Sharon, “It’s about the joy of taking part, the camaraderie, and the sense of achievement for the swimmers when they walk out of the water. Our final swimmer home will receive just as big a cheer as the winner will.”

For the third year in a row, Cosimac Ltd, the Bangor-based outdoor clothing company that specialises in swimming robes and towels, will present prizes. They’ll also present a range of products and post-swim goodies by ASDA Bangor and Eurospar Gransha, and all participants will receive a medal for completing the course.

Angela Skarmoutsos of Cosimac said, “As a local Bangor brand, we’re thrilled and proud to support this brilliant event once again. It fits perfectly with the Cosimac ethos of getting into the water and having an adventure! We are so grateful to Open House for bringing this joyful event back to Bangor again and wish all the swimmers the best of luck.”

Participants must be over 16 years of age and confident, experienced swimmers capable of swimming 1000m within 30 minutes. Kayaks, ribs, and paddleboards will support the route in the water.

Kieran Gilmore from Open House Festival paid tribute to everyone behind the scenes who help to make the swim such a success. “We couldn’t run the event without the help and support of so many people, including Safer Waters, Kevin Baird, the Marina Manager, the safety crews manning the route on boats, kayaks and paddle boards, and our local RNLI. Special thanks to all the local businesses supporting the event, and of course to our own Open House Volunteers who’ll ensure everything runs smoothly on the day.”

Tickets for the swim are on sale now. Spaces are limited to 200, and the organisers encourage anyone who wants to participate in this popular and iconic event to secure their place quickly. To purchase a ticket and view this year’s full Open House Festival programme go to: www.openhousefestival.com

Thousands of people are expected to take to the sea for Christmas morning charity swims, with coastal temperatures hovering around nine to ten degrees Celsius.

A full moon during Christmas week will result in higher tides that could make some areas of the coastline “more precarious”, Water Safety Ireland’s deputy chief executive Roger Sweeney said.

RNLI Water Safety Lead Linda Gene Byrne said it would urge people “when they decide to take to the water, to make time to ensure they are doing it safely and with the correct knowledge and equipment”.

“That time taken could save a life or another person’s life. If you need to call for help, everything that you have done to keep afloat could make all the difference,”she said.

In Galway, Cope Galway’s homeless charity is the main fundraiser for the Christmas swim at Blackrock tower, while Galway Simon held a “dip at dawn” on the day of the solstice last week.

Cope Galway’s event is a “hybrid”, in that participant can contribute by swimming wherever they are from December 20th to December 26th, while there will be a Christmas Day event at Blackrock Tower, in Salthill, on Christmas morning.

Registration costs €20 and includes a swim t-shirt.

“Casa Loughrea” is the main beneficiary for an event at Loughrea lake, east Galway. The Loughrea Icebreakers Christmas Day Swim takes place at 11.30am at the Long Point Loughrea, and swimmers will be served hot beverages to warm up.

The charity provides a social outlet for people with disabilities in east Galway in association with Loughrea Lions Club.

In Dublin, the busiest spot is expected to be the Forty Foot, while Seapoint in Blackrock, the Vico baths, Skerries, Portmarnock, Balscadden Beach and Clontarf are also expected to be busy.

As Afloat reported previously, The Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland, and the RNLI are urging people to stay safe if they are out swimming this Christmas period.

“The increase in popularity of festive dips and open water swimming will see a lot of people taking to the water over the next few weeks. Many people will also avail of the opportunity to participate in coastal walks and hikes,”they have said in a joint statement.

For those taking part in winter dips and swims the advice is:

• Never swim alone.
• Ensure that somebody ashore is monitoring your activity.
• Acclimatise slowly.
• Stay within your depth.
• Always be seen.
• Organisers of Christmas Day or New Year swims are advised to have suitably trained personnel in attendance and to appoint a Safety Officer.
• The safety advice for other water-based activities includes:
• Always have a means for calling for help and make sure you can access it when you are out on the water.
• Tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return.
• Wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid.
• Always check the weather forecast and sea conditions before you set off.
• If you’re exploring somewhere new, seek knowledge from experienced practitioners in the area.

Tributes have been paid to Galway teacher, photographer and open water swimmer Jane Hogan who died recently at the age of 77.

As The Sunday Independent reports, Hogan, who was one of the Kenny Bookshop family, was a competitive swimmer from an early age.

Her late father Des was first chairman of what was then the Irish Water Safety, after it was set up by the late minister and Galway West TD Bobby Molloy.

As her brother Tom Kenny said at her funeral, “Jane was an avid sea swimmer her whole life, always encouraging others to spend time in the sea which she considered the best medicine for all ills”.

“She was one of the regulars down in Blackrock where she swam daily most of the year round. She referred to her friends there as “The Blackrock Clinic”.

She was a keen photographer and an inspiring teacher at Salerno Secondary School.

Paddy McNamara, a fellow swimmer at Blackrock, Salthill, remembered how she would pull out the camera, and it was ‘stand there, pull in together’ as she got her snap, he said.

He said Hogan was very accomplished, competing in many open water events in Galway and beyond.

Her daily swims took a realistic tack as she would take a break once sea temperatures dropped below 10C, he said.

“Jane would say to me that she would return when we had ‘a week of tens’, as in 10C,” McNamara said.

In a tribute, Galway Swimming Club said that her “dedication to swimming was not merely a personal pursuit but a tradition passed down through the generations”.

“Jane’s influence extended beyond her own accomplishments, as her children and grandchildren continued the family’s tradition, carrying forward the torch of her passion for swimming,”it said.

Read The Sunday Independent here

Triathletes, masters and open water swimmers may benefit from a skills and training session which Swim Ireland is running this weekend in the University of Limerick pool.

The two-hour session will be held with one of Ireland's top performance coaches, John Szaranek.

Olympian Finn McGeever will also be on deck to help demonstrate the drills and give personalised feedback throughout the session, Swim Ireland says.

The freestyle skills and training will allow triathletes, masters swimmers aged over 18 and open-water swimmers to work on their technique.

Togs, hats and goggles will be required for the two hours, running from 1400 to 1600 hours this Sunday, October 1st, in the University of Limerick pool.

The cost of the clinic is 50 euros.

For queries, contact [email protected] and booking is here.

About 100 swimmers will set off this morning on the annual Galway Bay swim, one of the largest open water events of its type on the West Coast calendar.

As Afloat reported previously, the swimmers will leave Aughinish on the Clare side of Galway Bay from 8 am to make the 13km traverse to Blackrock Tower in Salthill.

First participants are expected at Blackrock from 12 noon, where they will receive a warm welcome in every sense.

The 16th Frances Thornton Memorial swim was due to have been held on July 15th, but weather forced its postponement to August. Once again, a small craft weather warning led to another deferral, and some swimmers made their own arrangements, with safety craft, to ensure they could complete the challenge in aid of Cancer Care West.

A total of 154 had registered – 65 solo swimmers and 90 swimmers in 25 in relay teams. The event is Cancer Care West’s biggest fundraising event of the year, and well over a million euro has been raised for the charity to date.

Named after the late Frances Thornton of Galway, this year’s event is set to raise over 100,000 euro.

Swimmers have to undergo a time trial before being accepted, and are accompanied by RIBs from Clare to Galway crewed by a large group of experienced volunteers, including local inshore fishermen, swimmers and sailors, the RNLI and Doolin Coast Guard, Oranmore-Maree Coastal Rescue and Civil Defence.

For the final 100 metres into Blackrock diving tower, paddle boards and kayaks will guide the swimmers home.

The 2023 Galway Bay Swim, which has been postponed twice due to weather, is due to take place this Saturday (Sep 9).

If conditions, permit, the fundraiser for Cancer Care West will set off from Aughinish on the Clare side of Galway Bay for Blackrock Tower in Salthill.

A total of 154 swimmers were registered when the first date was set in July – including 65 solo swimmers and 25 relay teams involving 89 swimmers.

A second date in August also had to be abandoned due to Met Éireann small craft warnings.

However, some committed participants have already completed their 13km crossing of the bay, having made individual safety arrangements.

One such is Wotjek Petasz, who completed his swim last weekend with safety boat support provided by Paddy Crowe of Inis Oírr, Páraic Conneely of Tigh Ned and Cáít Fieldman.

Crowe, an experienced mariner, said they witnessed four minke whales and up to 40 dolphins feeding en route across the bay, which he described as a “fantastic sight”.

Petasz has previously completed it three times before, including in a relay team and the “virtual” event organised by Cancer Care West during Covid-19.

Named after the late Frances Thornton of Galway, the event is Cancer Care West's biggest fundraiser. Well over 1 million euro has been raised for the charity to date, and this year’s event is set to raise over 100,000 euro.

Swimmers have to undergo a time trial before being accepted, and are accompanied by RIBs from Clare to Galway by a large group of experienced volunteers, including local inshore fishermen and sailors, the RNLI and Doolin Coast Guard, Oranmore-Maree Coastal Search Unit, and Civil Defence.

Updates on the rescheduled swim date will be on the Galway Bay swim website

A Connemara nurse aims to raise funds for the Aran lifeboat by swimming solo across Gregory’s Sound.

As The Irish Independent reports, Barbara Conneely O’Brien, who is from a well-known Aran island fishing family, hopes to swim the three-kilometre tidal stretch between Inis Meáin and Inis Mór when the weather is suitable.

She has been training daily for “Snámh an tSunda”, as her swim is called, and has had a “fair few lashes” of Compass jellyfish over the last few weeks.

“I couldn’t even put my head in water before Covid-19 and practised using a bowl on the kitchen table,” she told the newspaper.

Conneely O’Brien lives in An Cheathrú Rua, and several of her siblings, including her sister Clíona, have made a career at sea.

Her late father, Gregory, survived a serious deck accident and was also involved in the rescue of one of his own boats, which went up on rocks off Inis Mór while his wife, Maggie, was about to deliver their first child.

Gregory’s Sound is a three-kilometre tidal stretch between Inis Meáin and Inis Mór 

Known as Sunda Ghríora in Irish, Gregory’s Sound is named after a hermit who lived on Inis Meáin.

Gregory’s mouth is reputed to have been turned to gold after he bit his bottom lip off in a fit of anguish over his sins, and he asked that his body be thrown into the sea in a cask on his death.

The cask landed across at Port Daibhche on Inis Mór – the same landing point that Conneely O’Brien is aiming for after she sets off from Inis Meáin.

The stretch of water has a north-east/south-west tidal stream, and was once plied by emigrant ships leaving Ireland for North America.

However, it can have confused seas in certain weather conditions, and so Conneely O’Brien has set a window of this week from August 7th to select a day to complete her swim.

She will be accompanied by her brother John Conneely, a fisherman, in a 21ft half-decker, Lady Luck.

She wants to pay tribute to RNLI volunteers, and wants to honour the memories of all of those who have died as a result of tragedies at sea.

So far, she has raised over 4,000 euro of her 5,000 euro target.

Read The Irish Independent here

Weather has forced postponement of the Galway Bay sea swim which is one of the largest open water events on the west coast calendar.

The 16th Frances Thornton memorial swim was due to have been held today (Sat, July 15), with some 150 swimmers registered to cross from Aughinish on the Clare side of Galway Bay to Blackrock, Salthill Galway.

Spokesman Brian Thornton said a new date would be set for next month, weather permitting.

About 60 of the participants aim to swim solo, while 90 participants were registered for the relay category.

Named after the late Frances Thornton of Galway, the event is Cancer Care West's biggest fundraiser. Well over 1 million euro has been raised for the charity to date, and this year’s event is set to raise over 100,000 euro.

Swimmers have to undergo a time trial before being accepted, and are accompanied by RIBs from Clare to Galway by a large group of experienced volunteers, including local inshore fishermen, swimmers and sailors, the RNLI and Doolin Coast Guard, Oranmore-Maree Coastal Rescue and Civil Defence.

Updates on the rescheduled swim date will be on the Galway Bay swim website here

Galway’s iconic diving tower at Blackrock, Salthill, will be the subject of “rolling closures” over the next fortnight to allow for maintenance work

Galway City Council began work on the tower earlier this week, with power washing, followed by painting.

However, limited access allowed for a full moon dip by the “ Blackrock howlers”, marking the moon rise at 2120 on Friday night.

A sunrise swim to mark Pieta House’s “Darkness into Light “ fundraising walk was also scheduled for Ladies Beach at 5.30 am on Saturday.

Galway City Council says that the intention is to “prioritise the painting of the tower as quickly as possible”.

However, it noted that it was “weather dependant, hence the need for potential rolling closures”.

An Tostal regatta

Swimmers are asked to keep close to the vicinity of Blackrock Tower from 1300 on both Saturday and Sunday, while rowing and sailing take place off Salthill for An Tostal regatta.

Water Safety Ireland is urging those planning festive charity dips to be mindful of the effect of a new moon on Dec 23rd which will lead to higher tides throughout the weekend.

Higher tides can hide unfamiliar depths and hazards that can result in injuries and entanglement. Staying within your depth and close to shore will help avoid rip currents that can take a swimmer away in cold water, where the onset of hypothermia can make it difficult to self-rescue.

Charity swims have grown in popularity, yet some swimmers occasionally take chances beyond their ability, finding themselves left without sufficient strength to climb out of the water due to the cold.

Sudden immersion in cold water can induce “Cold Shock” which can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. The sudden gasp and rapid breathing create a greater risk of drowning, even for confident swimmers in calm waters.

To help prevent Cold Shock, festive dippers should first become accustomed to the colder temperatures by splashing themselves with water while getting in slowly. People should get out without delay and warm up quickly to avoid the risk of hypothermia.