In a remarkable feat of endurance and fundraising, Dublin man Fergal Somerville successfully completed a 35km open water swim around Inis Mór, raising €8,500 for the Aran Islands RNLI. Somerville, a Guinness World record-breaking swimmer, took on this challenge, which surpasses the distances of both the English Channel and North Channel, under optimal tide and weather conditions.
Describing his route, Somerville explained, "I started the swim near the Straw Island gap and continued through the Sound. At the southern end of Inis Mór, I met the incoming tide to swim to the northwest corner. I then swam across the northern edge of Inis Mór to take the flow of the emptying tide along the Galway-facing coast to return to Carrickadda, bringing me up to 35km."
Following the success of the challenge, Aonghus O Hiarnain, Coxswain of Aran Islands RNLI, expressed gratitude, stating, "We are so grateful to Fergal for choosing Aran Islands RNLI as his charity of choice. Knowing the thought and preparation he and his team put into this mammoth swimming challenge, considering safety and weather conditions at all times, we are all just delighted that he completed it with such success. It is a great personal achievement for Fergal and a wonderful fundraising success also, the proceeds of which will help us to continue to save lives at sea."
