First Irish woman to swim the English Channel
Youngest Irish person to swim the English Channel

Place of Birth: Belfast
Current City: Lausanne, Switzerland

Swimming Bio

Gráinne has swum competitively since the age of six and continues to swim today. She swam for Coleraine, Bangor, Liverpool, Swiss Cottage (London), and Rotorua (N.Z.) Swimming Clubs. She represented Ireland at the 1st World Long Distance Hcampionships in 1986 where she completed the 25k swim of Lake Windermere, finishing ninth in 9 hours and 4 minutes. She was a member of the first relay team to swim the length of Lough Neagh and the North Channel.

On 6th March 2001, Gráinne became the first Irish swimmer to successfully cross the Cook Straits between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Philip Rush (triple Channel record holder) piloted the swim which took 12 hours and 25 minutes and included a brief shark encounter.

Having lived in New Zealand for four years, Gráinne completed all the swims in the New Zealand open water calendar and was elected the New Zealand inaugural swimmer of the year in 2002.

Gráinne and her husband, Ivan, returned to Europe last year, and Gráinne is currently studying for an MBA at IMD in Switzerland.

Swimmer's Report – English Channel

Direction: England to France

On 3rd August 1987 at the age of seventeen, Gráinne became the first Irish woman and the youngest Irish person to swim the English Channel.

Her swim started at 5.40am from Shakespeare Beach, Dover. Wind force was 3, water temperature was 61 degrees F (15.5 degrees C). Gráinne maintained a steady stroke of 72 per minute, until approximately halfway through the swim when conditions deteriorated. Wind force increased to 4-5, conditions became squally on and off for the next two hours. As Gráinne neared France conditions began to settle down to wind force 2-3. and the sun eventually came out.

Gráinne came ashore on a small beach at the base of the monument on Cape Blanc at 5.31pm. Her time for the swim was 11 hours and 52 minutes.