Myrtleville to Church Bay swim was a huge success with record numbers taking part

THE Myrtleville to Church Bay swim is a highlight on the Cork and Munster Open Sea calendar. 

The two-kilometer swim is recognised as one of the most challenging on the Open Water circuit. 

The annual event, in support of the RNLI, attracts a large entry. This year was no exception.

The event celebrated it’s 10th anniversary in 2019, but like everything, fell victim to the pandemic. 

It made a welcome return in 2022 and this year the organisers were extremely pleased with the huge interest in the event. 

They had to close the entries early when they hit 405. 

At that point, there was a waiting list and those individuals waited anxiously for updates from the organisers on dropouts, in the hope of securing a coveted place.

Safety is paramount always with open water events and in the lead up to the swim, participants were updated regularly on weather conditions, tides and anticipated water temperatures. 

Participants were encouraged to swim regularly in the lead up to the event, in order to adequately prepare for the challenging 2km swim.

Myrtleville Swimmers successfully hosted their 12th Annual 2km Myrtleville to Church Bay swim, on the evening of the Summer Soltice, June 21st. 

Conditions were perfect on the evening, with a South Westerly wind, which helped swimmers toward the finish line. 

Immediately prior to the start, in the late evening sun, everyone sat on the steps at Myrtleville Beach, for the mandatory safety briefing, followed by the customary group photo. The start signal was given at 7pm and the group began to enter the water.

The swim was marshalled again this year by a huge safety flotilla of volunteers from the Myrtleille Swimmers group and beyond, as well as members of the Coast Guard, Gardai, RNLI, Order of Malta and members of the Funkytown Kayakers, who tracked the participants throughout the race and ensured their safety at all times, and successfully marshalled them back to the finish line in Church Bay.

The overall winner, this year, was Luke O’Sullivan, swimming in a wetsuit, in a time of 24.32. He was challenged all the way by last year’s winner Trevor Malone. Malone, was the first competitor to reach Church Bay, swimming in togs, stopping the clock on 24.41. Anthony Creed (wetsuit) was third in 24.58. In the female section the margin was again very tight with Sinead Barnett winning by just eight seconds from Deirdre Casey in a time of 26.51 and Meadhbh Moynihan placed third in 27.35. Behind these six speedsters, fantastic performances were registered by the remaining 255 swimmers, all of whom safely reached the finish line in under 60 minutes.

The proceeds of the swim, an incredible €6,122, were donated to the RNLI. Myrtleville swimmers have raised over €30,000 for the RNLI since it first began in 2010. The swim has grown exponentially from its humble beginning with a small group of participants to an entry of 400 this year, with 261 participants taking to the water.