19/07/2026
There were many actions and steps that helped Cork Marathon swimming explode over the last 25 years.
One “small” thing probably had a bigger impact than anyone thought was the open water long swim list. This covered swims in County Cork (and a bit of Kerry) and swims by Cork residents anywhere.
It started as a simple document in Microsoft Work to record epic solo swims of 5km +, relay swims of 10km+, training swim (example 6-hour English Channel qualifier, and shorter cool swims/achievements like at the North Pole region. Many swimmers will remember, with pride, the first time their name appeared on the list! It provide inspiration for many and helped many find a **First** and set a record!
At the time of creation there were only a few known epic solo swims of 10km +:
River Lee Dam to County Hall (12.5km) **First** - 1987 Terry Fleming & others
Blackrock Village to Cobh (13km) **First** - 1973 Eilís Burns, Rita Campion, Declan Desmond, Paschal Hedderman, David Joy, Catherine Mahon, Jerry Moore, Frankie Moynahan, Dinny O’Mahony, and others
Clew Bay (10km) - 1999, 2000 and 2003 Mary Horgan
Many years later we learned of another swim:
Cork to Cobh (16km) **First** - 1969 John Earls
There were other interesting shorter examples like:
Roches Point (mid channel) to Crosshaven (5km) **First** - 1995 Mick Aherne, Vincent Aherne and Bart Buckley
The history was interesting to capture, but these swims did not “set off” the explosion of long distance swimming in Cork. The long swim that did inspire the next generation was:
Cork to Kerry (5km as the crow flies - actual swim nearly 7km) **First** - 2002 Steven Black, Maria Blumenthal (wetsuit), Ger Deasy, Tadhg Harrington, Gilliam Lee, Tommy Lee, Imelda Lynch, Nick Mulcahy, Kieran Nolan (wetsuit), John Shop, Bill Steigleder, and Trevor Woods (wetsuit)
Two years later 14 Cork swimmers (5 of the above) signed up for English Channel solos and over-and-back relays which really started the explosion. Steven Black was one of the group leaders.
The long swim list was stopped in 2022 as so many swimmers were doing 5km swims. The last version is available:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15nzjnefClymcVD-8iVS-02EVog1tsGoQ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110324492881548734399&rtpof=true&sd=true
The new long swim list sets the solo cut off at 10km, is continually updated and is available:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZX_nHjmmuqOP6hrbn0WP_uvHFpDF-wDTMh2sYFDxQBo/edit?usp=drive_link
A snapshot shows: 25km Gold (51 swimmers), 10miles Silver (32 swimmers), and 10km Bronze (118 swimmers).
Before 2005 there were no Cork swimmers who had swum 10miles or 25km.
A conversation with an early Cork long sea swimmer gave an interest view of history and present: “I lived on the Northside and on a nice weekend summer day I used to travel to Myrtleville. It was a 25-minute walk then the bus then a 10-minute walk to the beach. I was the only person really swimming those days in the sea. Most were laying on the beach or dipping for 5 minutes. I’d swim for 30 to 45 minutes and everybody thought I was nuts. I thought I was superman. Then I’d walk, bus and walk home. You swimmers today have three big advantages. First, you have local swim sessions, examples, heroes and mentors. They prove that big swims are possible, swim all year in the sea, and provide guidance. Second, you jump in your car and drive to the sea in 1/5th the time my trip took. Third, the economics allow you to travel the world swimming. I sometimes wonder what I could have done that they environment.”
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County Cork (plus Kerry Coast/Islands up to Dolus Head) Swims & Swimmers Long Distance (10km solo or 20km relay) Open Water Swims This is the best record of long swims undertaken by swimmers from County Cork (resident at the time of the swim or very actively part of the Cork open water communit...
