Galway Advertiser 2004/2004_07_15/GA_1507_E1_010.pdf 

Extracted text

10 N E W S

Galway Advertiser

July 15 2004

Galway group completes historic two-way crossing of the English Channel
BY ANDREW HAMILTON Three Galway swimmers made history last week when they were part of the first ever Irish group to swim from England to France and then back again. Andrew Flanagan, Martin McCarthy, and Catherine Coyle were part of a sixperson relay team who fought fatigue, bad weather and darkness in an effort to raise up to 10,000 for the Galway Parkinson's Association. The Galway group was one of three Irish teams to attempt the historic feat on July 6 and the only one that succeeded. The swim had been scheduled to begin on July 7 but bad weather loomed on the horizon and forced the swimmers into an early start. only made the crossing very difficult for the swimmers in the water but also caused many of the swimmers getting ready in the boat to feel nauseous and sea sick. As night began to fall on July 6 and with the swimmers facing into force six gales the news came through that the other two Irish teams had retired. This meant that as long as the Galway team managed to finish they were sure to become the first ever Irish group to successfully cross the channel twice. After 24 hour of swimming the team were just five miles from the English coast and the exhausted swimmers had their goal in sight. Because of bad weather and extremely strong tides it took four gruelling hours to finish those last five miles. Just before 6am on Wednesday morning and after 27 hours, 48 minutes and 16 seconds of swimming they landing in Dover to become the first Irish group to successfully complete a two-way crossing of the English Channel. The ordeal had taken its toll on all the swimmers and on a few occasions they had seriously thought about retiring but their sheer determination and will to succeed kept them going until the end. "On the second night it was really cold, windy, and rough but we kept going because we knew that if we did this we would be the first Irish group ever to do it," said Andrew Flanagan. The money raised from this historic swim will go to the Galway Parkinson's Association to help in their efforts employ a nurse to do home visits for sufferers in County Galway. Clem Walsh from the association was delighted with the swimmers' achievements. "We are thrilled that our team managed to do it," said Mr Walsh who is himself a Parkinson's sufferer. "Some of the people [Parkinson's sufferers] are so bad that they are in wheelchairs and can't go outside". The cross channel swim is part of an ongoing fundraising effort by the Galway Parkinson's Association. A 10 mile sponsored walk will take place between Tullycross and Kilray Harbour on August 22. To get involved contact Mary Wynne on 091 637287.

Galway swimmers Martin Mc Carthy, Andrew Flanagan, and Catherine Coyle who became the first Irish people to swim from England to France and back again. With hope in his heart and the threat of bad weather on his mind Galway man Andrew Flanagan set out in darkness from Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 2am on the morning of July 6. After a tough few hours of darkness the sun rose to reveal clear skies, calm water, and plenty of ferries and catamarans crossing the channel to keep the swimmers company. After 13 hours and 16 minutes of swimming the group landed on the French mainland about a mile south of Cap Gris Nez and immediately turned around to tackle the return journey. The Galway team were the first of the three Irish teams to complete the first crossing and were over half an hour ahead of their nearest rival. As the return leg proceeded the weather began to deteriorate rapidly and soon the swimmers had to contend with four to six foot swells as well as a force four crosswind. This not

SUNBED WORLD LTD
! TANNING SHOPS NEW ! NEW THE LATEST IN STAND-UP TANNING
* STRONGEST 180W FAST TANNING TUBES
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN GALWAY AT

Step Up Your Career
National College of Ireland offers the following programmes in your area BA (Honours) in Business Management Diploma in People Management Diploma in First-Line Management (Supervision) CIPD Certificate in Personnel Practice

`THE SUN TOWER' Sunbed Centre, Tuam Ltd World Rd Town Park
(opp Galway city gym)

incredible offer of 14 sessions for 50 Tanning times 4 to 12 minutes Single session also available No booking required. Tel: 755676

All Programmes are delivered Part-Time:

Starting September `04

Phone Today 1850 221 721
www.ncirl.ie info@ncirl.ie

Southern Hills, Knocknacarra, Salthill `Opposite Spinnaker Hotel" Tel 091 581826/581830

OPENING HOURS Mon-Turs 5pm to 12 o'clock midnight Fri-Sat 5pm to 12.30am

SUNDAY BUFFET LUNCH 1PM TO 4PM
6 Starters, 6 Main Courses Homemade desserts Tea - Coffee `Eat as much as you want' Special tasting - Aromatic Crispy Duck Meat Sung

Adults 12.80 Children (under 10) 6.80
ENJOY FINE CHINESE CUISINE IN A PLEASANT ATMOSPHERE, WITH PANORAMIC VIEW OF GALWAY BAY

AND ADJOINING GOLF COURSE Car Park Space Food Delivery Service Available