13-year-old is youngest Liffey swimmer
A 13-year-old girl will be the youngest competitor to ever take part in the Liffey Swim today.
Lucy Gaynor will compete in the race against swimmers of all ages from all over the world.
Other participants include Joe Oakes, who at 73 has completed many international challenges including the Bering Strait, the Dardenelles, the Strait of Gibraltar and the English Channel.
Dublin Lord Mayor, Cllr Paddy Bourke, urged residents in the capital to line the boardwalk in support of the 87th annual Liffey Swim.
This year, 213 Irish men and 114 Irish women will compete with 11 swimmers from America, Canada, Australia, England, Scotland and the Channel Islands.
The men’s race will begin at 2.15pm at Watling Street Bridge and finish at Custom House Quay approximately 25 minutes later, while the women’s race starts at 3pm.
“We’re expecting huge crowds of people to line the Quays and we hope people will turn out to encourage the swimmers as they pass by,” said Cllr Bourke.
“Generations of families taking part include John Pickering, his daughter Sharon and her daughter Hayley, George Mongey and his two sons Brian and Mick, who have both won the race in previous years, sisters Dolores Kenny, Maeve Dunne and Orla Doyle as well as Maeve’s two daughters Michelle and Niamh and Orla’s daughter Rachel.
“Also competing is veteran Liffey swimmer Jackie Kearney who has completed the race 55 times.”
The first Liffey Swim took place in July 1920 with just 27 male contestants, with the ladies race introduced in 1991.
Competitors must complete five races of the season to quality for the Liffey Swim, which is regarded as a true sporting challenge attracting some of the greatest names in swimming history, both past and present.
