Honour Swimmers
Barry swam competitively since childhood, securing several underage national titles and competed in Irish, GB, European and World Masters events. Barry has a passion for open water swimming and has undertaken many distance and marathon swims in recent years.
Marathon Swim Accomplishments
Barry’s swimming CV is extensive, including three Triple Crowns;
- 2024 – Original Triple Crown – English (2019), North (2024), Bristol (2024)
- 2023 – Irish Triple Crown – North (2024), Fastnet (2023), Galway Bay (2023)
- 2024 – Triple Crown – English (2019), Manhattan (2023), Catalina (2024)
Other information
In 2023 Barry was named as both the ILDSA and Swim Ireland Open Water Swimmer of the Year. He has mentored, crewed and piloted distance swims. Barry has the distinction of being named for 3 oldest triple crown records. In youth Barry played a substantial role for the Don Bosco Swim Club (established by his father) which provided swim lessons, coaching and lifesaving courses for youngsters on the northside of Dublin. Throughout his swimming career he has fundraised for several charities.
Féilim O’Maoláin
Féilim has completed marathon swims for quite a long time. In 1998, he was the 8th swimmer from Ireland to successfully swim the English Channel; originally targeted for backstroke. After many hours in adverse conditions, pilot Mike Oram indicated that Féilim should retire and retry at a later date. Féilim persevered, eventually flipping over to front crawl for a 21½ hour English Channel.
Marathon Swim Accomplishments
Féilim has pioneered swims all over Ireland – including the inaugural Cleggan to Inishbofin (2001) and Inismor to Salthill (2002). Féilim is known far and wide. Years before social media appeared he was an icon in Ireland long distance swimming. He was part of the successful Holyhead to Dublin Relay Team of 1993. Twelve years later, in 2005, he made the very 1st attempt to swim the 93 Km that is the Irish Sea. He set off from under Holyhead Mountain and swam for 20 hours. Still quite a distance from the Irish Coast (already in view), Féilim was suffering from numerous lion’s mane jellyfish stings. He called the swim and returned to the boat – determined to try again. The swim was widely reported in newspaper and national broadcast media. The effort, supported by a video presentation, raised substantial funds for the Dublin homeless.
Other information
Féilim’s swims have benefited several charities. Féilim has swam in many relays including English Channel (1995), North Channel (1996) and Inismor to Galway (1997). Féilim has been inspirational for his achievements and innovations in developing previously untested swims. He has mentored and crewed for several swimmers on marathon swims. He has a long association with working for the homeless in his home city of Dublin.
Sabrina Wiedmer
In 2013 Sabrina arrived in Ireland from Switzerland to complete a semester in Dublin City University as part of a degree in Biotechnology. Sabrina, a passionate pool swimmer from a young age, was introduced to sea swimming at High Rock, Malahide. Upon completion of studies, Sabrina relocated to Dublin permanently to pursue her open water swimming goals.
Marathon Swim Accomplishments
In 2014, one year after taking up sea swimming, Sabrina earned worldwide acclaim in becoming the first swimmer to conquer the North Channel for a first channel swim – and, in doing so, recorded the 3rd fastest time. In 2016 Sabrina successfully took on the Dal Riata Channel, becoming the first female and second person ever to successfully complete this swim.
Other information
Sabrina has celebrated successes in Leinster and Ireland competitive swims – both pool and open water. She is also an accomplished ice swimmer and a former age group world record holder in the Ice Mile event and a tied age group world record in the Ice Kilometre event.
Honour Contributors
Carol Cashell
Carol Cashell was born, and has lived all her life, in Cork. She has gained a reputation as one of Ireland’s best known marathon swimmers. Carol was inducted as an Honour Swimmer into the Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Class of 2021) (see appended highlights).
If Carol is not swimming she is likely organising an event. A key organiser she has led the development of the 3.8km Rebel Plunge; a swim which draws swimmers from all over Ireland. Carol has a close association with the Rebel Plunge and Myrtleville to Churchbay swims and from these events many aspirant distance swimmers credit Carol for her encouragement and dedication.
Carol is a qualified swim coach and has trained, mentored, coached and crewed for several years. Cork boasts more channel swimmers than all other counties. While that may be subject to debate many Cork swimmers credit Carol for her contribution to their individual successes.
Amazingly, Carol has a similarly extensive record crewing for so many swimmers. She has crewed in the North Channel (1 two-way swim), English Channel (10 swims), Cork to Cobh (3 swims), Fastnet (2 swims), Around Old Head of Kinsale (1 swim), and several times on local swims in Cork including Kilmacsimon to Sandycove, Novohol to Crosshaven, Oysterhaven to Sandycove to name a few. Carol’s experience, expertise and knowledge has been a key to the success of many swims – both as swimmer and crew.
A Current member of Sandycove Island Swim Club Committee Carol is likely to pop up at any swim venue. She enjoys encouraging swimmers to achieve their own distance and marathon swim goals and feels “there is nothing like the buzz of seeing a swimmer complete a swim, whether it be their first, or just their season target, go on give it a go, I’ll share my packing list”.
As a swimmer Carol was the 160th individual to complete the Triple Crown (2017) – and posted the second fastest time for an Irish swimmer. Between 2011 and 2019 Carol pioneered 11 new marathon courses (predominantly in Cork). She has completed several marathon swims in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US.
Paddy McNamara
Paddy McNamara hails from Galway and has a lifelong passion for open water swimming. A former member of the Irish Defence Forces Paddy is ever present at Blackrock Diving Tower and Salthill. There, he encourages and motivates all comers to enjoy the challenges of open water swimming – guiding several all to way to take on some of the world’s toughest marathon swims. For over 30 years and through many roles Paddy has supported and developed open water swimming in Connaught. Modest about his contribution to the sport he has contributed substantially to the growth in the number of swimmers and their success in marathon swims in Galway and further afield.
Contribution
Paddy plays a key role in the organisation of open water swim events in Galway including;
- The Frances Thornton Galway Bay Swim (est 2006) – swim of 100+ participants in 2024 (raising over €100k) for Cancer Care West Charity. Since it was established in 2006 the Frances Thornton Swim, 13km from Aughinish (Clare) to Blackrock (Galway), is now established as Cancer Care West’s biggest fundraiser. To 2024 more than 1,000 swimmers (solo and relay) have raised over €1.2m.
- Corrib Sea Swim series – every summer over the past 30 years; 140+ swimmers
- Prom Swims (est 1936), Longest Day Swims (est 2010) and “Adventure Series” offer short distances providing opportunities for the development of aspirant marathon swimmers.
Paddy is passionate about the environment and optimising safety for open water swimmers. In 2018 he was part of an award-winning team on Healthy Ireland’s ‘Blue Space Project Initiative’. Their efforts focused on maximising the blue spaces. The outcome led to an increase in Salthill swim buoys providing an optimally safe environment for the increasing number of swimmers.
Paddy represented Connacht on the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association historical database project on which he made a presentation at the 13th Annual ILDSA 2021 Awards.
Beyond his base of Salthill Paddy has crossed Galway Bay completing a solo swim (2013). He has piloted and crewed for swimmers on Galway Bay and crewed for Atlantic Master’s Fergal Madden on his successful English Channel Swim (2019).
Paddy’s expertise on Galway Bay’s tides, flows, temperatures, and weather conditions is sought and valued by all swimmers.
Nathan Timmins
Nathan, born and bred in the UK, spent the past ¼ century in West Cork. An accomplished all-round sportsman in his youth he learned to swim in 2012 at age 34. The following year, representing Cork, Nathan competed in the World Master’s Surf Lifesaving Championships in France.
In 2017, a mere five years after learning to swim, Nathan swam the English Channel – very few individuals have made such a giant transition and fewer in such a short number of years. En route to a successful English Channel swim Nathan competed, again successfully, in several triathlon and Ironman events. Aligned to his marathon swimming successes, and keen to support swimmers young and old, Nathan qualified as a Swim Teacher and Swim Ireland Swim Coach.
Since 2016, Nathan, along with Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honouree Noel Browne, and renowned local pilot Ciaran Collins, have developed the success of the Fastnet Swimming Association. This iconic swim was first swam by Ocean Seven’s Stephen Redmond (Honouree of both the Ireland and International Marathon Swimming Halls of Fame). Nathan has several years’ experience in piloting distance and marathon swims (Galley Head, Galway Bay, and Inchidoney to name a few). The association has developed the iconic 21Km Fastnet Swim (Baltimore Harbour to Fastnet Lighthouse or reverse direction). The exponential growth in the swim is down to Ciaran, Nathan, and Noel. In only eight years since their first success channel aspirants and many of the world’s best known marathon swimmers are queuing up to take on the challenge of the world’s fastest growing marathon swim. The Fastnet Swim is a component of the Irish Triple Crown (Fastnet, Galway Bay and North Channel).
Nathan’s swims have contributed substantial funds to the RNLI and Cork’s Marymount Hospice. In the little spare time that Nathan has he volunteers with the Irish Coastguard and Water Safety Ireland as an Instructor and Coach.
