Patrick aims to be first Irishman to swim Shannon
Geraldine Grennan
When he sets out to swim all 245km of the longest river in Ireland, the Shannon next month, fitness fanatic and Offaly resident Patrick McDonnell will be the first Irish man to attempt such a marathon feat.
Patrick, who lives in Cloghan, was invited to swim the Shannon last summer with US therapist, Dean Hall, but he was in the middle of planning another very important event – his wedding!
57-year-old Dean Hall, from Oregon in the United States, made history last July by becoming the first person ever to swim the entire length of the Shannon, and Patrick McDonnell, a native of Coosan in Athlone, is hoping to make his own little bit of history when he sets out to navigate the famous river on May 24 next.
“I grew up on a farm in Coosan with four brothers and two sisters, so I always had somebody to kick a ball with, and I suppose you could say I have been very active all my life” says Patrick, who works as a lifeguard and fitness instructor in Birr Leisure Centre.
It was his love of the outdoors that led him to swim from Shannonbridge to Banagher two years ago to raise funds for MS Ireland. He raised over €1,000 for his chosen charity, and then he started thinking that perhaps he could go “one step further” and swim the entire length of the Shannon.
Patrick will be undertaking fundraising for four charities: Pieta House; the Irish Cancer Society; Cloghan Hall Development Committee and Riverside Soccer Club, and he is hoping that business people and individuals will donate whatever they can to his efforts.
Having been a qualified lifeguard for the past 16 years, Patrick is a very accomplished swimmer, but he says he still has to undergo a gruelling training regime to swim the full 245km of the Shannon river. The route will take him from Dowra in north west Cavan right down to the southern tip of Limerick, swimming through two of Ireland’s largest lakes, Lough Ree and Lough Derg, along the way.
“It is a huge task alright,” he admits “and I have been training in the water twice a day since January in preparation for it.” At the moment, Patrick McDonnell trains in the pool at Birr Leisure Centre and swims for up to two hours a day, which would be around 6km.
With a strong backroom team behind him, including Jonathan O’ Meara, Derek Middleton and Millo O’Meara, among others, Patrick is hoping to undertake open water swimming this week, and will be going “full steam ahead” until May 24.
Having undertaken many triathlons in the past, he says this experience will stand to him for his latest challenge, and he will also have to undergo a full medical check-up in advance of the swim.
“I have set myself a target of swimming the full length of the Shannon in 12 days, but realistically, I will allow myself around 16 days,” he says “and hopefully the weather conditions will be favourable, but you can’t depend on the Irish weather, so you have to prepare for all eventualities.”
Luckily for Patrick, his wife, Ailbhe, who is from Ballyshale, Belmont, is also a fitness fanatic and, in fact, the couple met when she joined one of his fitness classes in Birr Leisure Centre!
Ailbhe and her brother, Ronan Healy, now look after the Facebook page, Paddy’s Shannon Swim, and all the social media platforms for Patrick’s swim.
“She is fully behind what I am trying to achieve, as are my wider family, and all my friends, so I am very lucky to have so much support around me” says Patrick.
His father, Michael, who runs the “Camán Inn” pub in Cloghan, is also assisting with fundraising in the pub, where donations are being accepted, and his mother, Collette, and other family members are also helping out.
Along the route of his swim, Patrick McDonnell, is hoping to promote water safety, and among his sponsors are the Irish Water Safety Association, along with Birr Leisure Centre, Mulrooney’s Gala in Birr; Flynn’s Super Valu in Banager; Healy’s Spar in Cloghan and the Camán Inn.
He is also very grateful to his physio, Nicholas Lawlor, who works in Birr Leisure Centre and is also the physio to the Ireland U/20 Rugby team, and his swim coach, Anthony Christie from Monasterevin.
Anyone wishing to donate to Paddy’s Shannon Swim can find details in the coming weeks on his Facebook page, and all donations, big and small, will be “gratefully accepted” he says.