Sandycove Swimmers

Fantastic result from our Trio in Manattan as all 3 completed the 28.5 monster marathon swim in less than ideal conditions. Weather conditions were foggy, wet and cold for this swim..in fact it was described as very Irish weather!

Due to some ‘delays’ at the start, the swimmers were dropped in the water an hour behind schedule. For 75% of the swimmers entered, this meant they were pulled from the water due to cut off time restrictions determined by the tide. They were allowed back in again but official times were not recorded.

Regardless, all of the Irish swimmers completed the swim!! With a phenomenal performance from Carol Cashell who was 3rd female home, 6th overall in an incredible time of 7 hrs 46 mind 59 s!!

Well done to all Liam, Lisa and Carol, you did us proud!!

Hi all,

This coming Saturday, the 8th June 2013, 3 of our swimmers will be attempting the 28.5mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.

The swimmers are Lisa Cummins, Liam Maher and Carol Cashell.

Please join me in wishing them the very best if luck and a safe, enjoyable swim.

Here is the link to the event for more info:

http://www.nycswim.org/Event/Event.aspx?Event_ID=2302

Looking forward to the pics and the reports back !!

Páraic Casey continues to be remembered, and his life celebrated in Sandycove.

These words, Páraic’s words, are the same as those on his bench in Varne Ridge.

After a lot of behind the scene negotiations, planning and work everything fell into place on Friday the 5^th of April. Páraic’s picnic table was installed in Sandycove by a team of dedicated friends and professionals.

You may be aware from a previous post on this site that a bench has been erected in Páraic’s honour in Dover, thanks to the generous donations of many.  Due to the overwhelming generosity of Páraic’s friends and family enough money was raised to do something similar in Sandycove. But why stop at a bench?   Why not go all out and put in a picnic table?  After all, the best part of any swim is often the chat with fellow swimmers over a hot beverage when you get out of the water. And we all know that Páraic always loved the chat, the tea, the food and the company.

So, early on the morning of Friday April 5^th a couple of Páraic’s friends (the driving force behind these two projects) left the pool and headed straight to Sandycove for a long day’s work. Different people dropped in and out during the day to give a hand, show encouragement, bring food and generally help out.

Everyone has their own interpretation of a helping hand!

We all know this view of Sandycove, a little bit of waste ground (although some people find it very useful, for private reasons!).  This is where the picnic table was to go.  After a morning of serious clearing, leveling and measuring the area was ready for the cement truck that laid the foundation for the table.

Laying the foundation.

After much deliberation the table was finally ready to be lifted onto the wet cement.  It took the brains of the group to figure out how best to do this.  Luckily there was an architect standing by to advise!

Possibly the best view from any picnic table in Ireland!

The finished product is amazing.  It is a real tribute to Páraic.  All the money raised, and the helping hands from start to finish in this project are a real testament to the true friend that Páraic was to so many.  It is also another indication of the fantastic community that we have here in Sandycove. Sandycove Island Swimming Club – The Club that keeps on Giving – A very sincere thank you to all those who made this happen.

We look forward to many more years of sitting and chatting and sharing with Páraic at this place that was so close to his heart.

Baltimore RNLI Fundraising Branch is organising a swim from Sherkin Island Pier to Baltimore Pier on Saturday 4 May as part of the MAYDAY festivities.
Where: Sherkin Island to Baltimore, Baltimore, Cork

When:

Start Date: 4 May 2013 14:00
End Date: 4 May 2013 18:00

Fees: Adult Price €15

Contact details: mayday@rnli.org.uk

Event details:

you can enter here:

http://rnli.org/howtosupportus/getinvolved/events/Pages/Baltimore-Swim.aspx

​Entry fee is €15 and you will receive a MAYDAY John West welly key ring.

The RNLI’s Baltimore Swim is part of MAYDAY. The event is a 1 nautical mile (2km) open-water swim from Sherkin Island Pier to Baltimore Pier and offers a unique opportunity to swim with 7 Ocean Challenger Steve Redmond. The swim will cross this famous channel under controlled circumstances. Numbers are limited so early entry is recommended.

Stephen Redmond is from Ballydehob, Co. Cork. He is a former rugby player and triathlete who is currently one of the few adventurers in the world on track to achieve the Oceans Seven, which is especially remarkable given the training facilities near his home town. He has also become the first person to swim around the treacherous Fastnet Rock.

Swimmers must be able to swim 1 mile in open-water conditions, be medically fit and agree to raise a minimum of €50 for the RNLI. You will be required to provide and wear a wetsuit. Swim caps will be provided and must be worn. Minimum age for entry to this event is 14 years.

MAYDAY is proudly supported by John West.

We have been a little quiet on here lately – the horrible winter weather has been getting the better of us! But there is light at the end of the tunnel…the weather should be starting to get warmer soon and dates for summer swims are starting to be announced. So, as we did last year, we are having a dinner to open the OW swim season over some fine food and good company

The date of the annual dinner is set for Friday, 5th April in Isaacs Restaurant, MacCurtain’s Street, Cork at 8 pm. It’s a set dinner and the cost is €30 per person (which does not include drinks).

The link to sign up for the dinner is here:

http://www.activeglobal.com/gl/swimming/munster-ireland/sandycove-island-swim-club-2011/168895
. We need to send in numbers soon so please sign up as soon as possible if you want to come along. At the end (after you pay) you will get a message: “You still have to fill out online form”…ignore it!

It was a great night last year so please join us if you can!