Open Water Swimming News from Ireland
Shannon Navigation: Long-Distance Endurance Swim Begins This Weekend
21st August 2026 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that a week-long endurance swim of the length of the Shannon commences on Saturday 22 August. Nineteen-year-old Conor Lanigan will undertake the exceptional endurance challenge, swimming some…
Restrictions for Lough Ree Boaters Around Castle to Castle Swim This Saturday
21st August 2026 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that the Jim O’Connor Memorial Castle to Castle Swim takes place on Lough Ree this Saturday 22 August. This annual event is an important fundraising initiative for…
A strong northerly posed a tough challenge for 149 solo and relay swimmers participating in the Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim last weekend. The 21st annual swim across the bay from Aughinish in Co Clare to Blackrock tower in…
Irish National Open Water Swimming Championships on Lough Key This Sunday
25th July 2026 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that Swim Ireland will host the Irish National Open Water Swimming Championships at Lough Key in Co Roscommon on Sunday 26 July. The event will be based…
More than 65 sea swimmers took to the water at Fenit, Co Kerry, this week for the Donald Walsh Memorial Swim, which finally went ahead after an earlier postponement. A large crowd gathered on the shoreline to watch competitors tackle…
Open-water swimmers from Ireland and overseas will return to Drogheda on Saturday, 1 August, for the 2026 Boyne Swim. Now in its 12th year, the event has become one of Ireland's best-known river swims, attracting participants seeking competition, personal achievement…
A prohibition on recreational water activities including sea swimming has been issued for nine popular areas in south Dublin due to heavy rainfall. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has issued the ban with effect until June 11th. The areas affected are…
Family of Deceased Triathlete Decry ‘Serious Lack of Accountability’ Over Youghal Ironman Event
30th May 2026 Sea Swim
The family of one of two men who died during an Ironman triathlon in East Cork have criticised the local authority and event organisers for “a serious lack of accountability”. As The Journal reports, the inquest in to the death…
Howth Yacht Club’s Race Management team rescued a swimmer in distress during the opening week of the club’s 2026 keelboat racing season. The incident happened in Malahide Estuary shortly before racing began on Wednesday evening. Just four minutes before the…
Dún Laoghaire Baths, one of the State’s newest official bathing areas, has failed water quality testing and will be closed to sea swimmers this summer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the ‘poor’ classification at Dún Laoghaire Baths in south…
Round Ireland Swimmer Daragh Morgan To Address Swim Ireland's First Conference on Open Water
2nd May 2026 Sea Swim
Round Ireland swimmer Darragh Morgan will be keynote speaker at Swim Ireland’s first conference on open water swimming. The conference will take place on May 23rd in Athlone’s Hodson Bay Hotel, Co Westmeath. The conference aims to bring together “swimmers,…
Actor Carrie Crowley Explores Ireland's Relationship With The Sea For TG4 Documentary
22nd April 2026 Maritime TV
An exploration by actor Carrie Crowley of Ireland’s relationship with the sea is the theme of a one-off documentary on TG4 next week (Apr 29) Billed as “a personal journey in Ireland’s waters”, Crowley spends time with “some of the…
Round Ireland Swim By Daragh Morgan Verified by Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
27th March 2026 Sea Swim
Daragh Morgan’s solo swim around Ireland has been verified by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association (ILDSA). Morgan’s effort has been described by the ILDSA as an “assisted, solo, non-continuous staged circumnavigation swim around the island of Ireland” with a…
Man Who Drowned in Youghal Triathlon Suffered Head Trauma in Minutes Before His Death, Inquest Hears
24th February 2026 Sea Swim
An inquest into the deaths of two men who died within minutes of each other in separate incidents during an Ironman triathlon in East Cork has heard how one of the casualties hit his head on “something very solid”. As…
Round Ireland swimmer Daragh Morgan has won the top honour at the 2026 Outsider Awards in Dublin. Morgan, previously featured on Afloat.ie, was named Outsider of the Year at The Helix in DCU on 11 February. In 2025, he became…
Footfall Counters Installed By Fáilte Ireland At Galway's Blackrock Diving Tower
26th November 2025 Galway Harbour
Fáilte Ireland is gathering information on the use of Salthill’s Blackrock diving tower in Galway to determine whether it should fund its refurbishment. As The Connacht Tribune reports, Galway city councillors have been informed that footfall counters have been installed…
