Congratulations to our eight swimmers who took part in the Munster/Connaught Gala recently. This is the business end of the season with only the finest swimmers invited to attend.

Boys under 16 – Charles O’Brien, who specialises in the breaststroke, showed everyone that he is right up there with the best in the country by winning a gold medal in the 200 breaststroke and a bronze in the 100 breaststroke.

Girls over 17 – Margaret O’Brien, who is a long-distance specialist, won an outstanding gold in the 400 Individual Medley, an incredibly difficult race.

Paul O’Leary and Ellen O’Connor were also in flying form, each making it into the final heats and both achieving top ten finishes and their Division Two times.

Star of the day, however, was our very own Alan O’Shea who swam like the hordes of hell were on his tail to break the one-minute marker for the 100 freestyle – a first for a Killarney swimmer and a record set at 59.13 seconds!  Well done, Alan – a huge achievement for you, your coach, Cathal O’Brien, and for our club.

Thanks to our lead coach, Cathal O’Brien who, as always, gave huge support and encouragement to our swimmers. Thanks also to all parents for travelling and taking part in timekeeping duties.

Congratulations to all our swimmers who took part in the Mallow Invitational Gala recently, resulting in substantial improvements in “personal best” times and some fine medals.

Girls under 15 – Saibh O’Brien showed some great style to take the silver medal in the 100 backstroke while Ellen O’Connor cleaned up all around her to win an incredible three medals with a silver in the 50 freestyle and bronze in both the 100 and the 50 breaststroke.

Boys under 15 – Michael Sweeney showed some fantastic bursts of speed to take bronze in the 50 backstroke – a serious contender for next season.

Boys over 16 – As always, Paul O’Leary showed his class to win silver in the 100 butterfly while Alan O’Shea put on a masterclass in tumble-turns to win a very fast bronze in the 100 freestyle.

Thanks to our lead coach, Cathal O’Brien who, as always, gave huge support and encouragement to our swimmers. Thanks also to all parents for travelling and taking part in timekeeping duties.

We are ready to go with our Easter Draw! This blog is coming (more or less) live to you from the Killarney Sports and Leisure Complex.

All the tickets have been checked, the Official Adjudicator is seated, looking very serious. There is a hush …

Niamh Coffey bravely steps up to draw the winning ticket for the first prize of an iPhone and the winner is … wait … Mr. Phil O’Sullivan! He’s a Corkman, apparently, but we’re an open-minded club.

Next up to draw a ticket, stepping gingerly through the crowds of onlookers, is Paul O’Leary. This ticket is for the Samsung Smartphone. Paul rummages through the hat … the ticket is out … it’s James Tarrant, a popular local winner. Well done James.

Now Ellen O’Connor approaches the stage to draw the winning ticket for the absolutely disgustingly enormous Easter Egg. Now folks, we all know that Ellen really wants that egg, there’s been talk. The Official Adjudicator leans in just a little bit closer … this one is taking some time … it must be done correctly … the ticket is out … the winner is … Ciara Irwin-Foley! Another local girl. The egg has found a happy home, although it won’t be there long.

Niamh Coffey volunteers to draw the last ticket to much applause. This one is for two tickets to see “Legally Blonde” in the Gleneagle during the Summer … take your time, Niamh … the ticket is out … and its Maunie O’Leary from Gneeveguilla. Well done, Maunie.

Thanks to everyone who supported our Easter Raffle, by sponsoring the prizes, buying tickets and running the draw. Well done to the winners and Happy Easter to everyone from Killarney Swimming Club.

Who wants to own a brand-new iPhone?  No?  Maybe you prefer Android so how about a Samsung Smartphone?  Or perhaps an absolutely-giant Easter egg for the week that’s in it or tickets to a fabulous show this summer in the INEC?

Yes, the draw for the Killarney Swimming Club Grand Raffle takes place this coming Thursday evening at the pool and there are four lucky winners out there as we speak – and one of them could be you!

“But I forgot to buy my ticket,” I hear you wail.  Never fear!  Squad managers have extra tickets for sale this week to meet expected demand.

Ok.  So you have a phone, are allergic to chocolate and are away all summer.  Is there any reason you should buy a ticket?  Oh yes there is.

Last week we finally got permission to use our new diving blocks which we started using on Friday morning.  There is one catch – we must build a storage shed out back, and that costs money.  Very simply, if we can sell enough tickets before Thursday, then we can build our shed.

So, between now and Thursday, for whatever reason pushes your buttons, please get out there and sell as many tickets as you can so that we can build our Club storage shed after Easter.

Congratulations to our senior swimmers who have been taking part in some major long-course galas recently resulting in substantial improvements on their own “personal best” times and some fine medals.

Well done to Charles O’Brien who won a fantastic bronze in the 100 breaststroke at the Gerry Ryan Invitational and then went on to the Munster /Connaught and took gold in the 200 breaststroke and bronze in the 100 breaststroke, in the process getting his Division I times in two categories.  Nice one, Charles!

At the same time, Paul O’Leary was turning on the style winning a lovely silver in the 100 breaststroke at the Munster/Connaught and also taking bronze in the 200 breaststroke.

Our girls were also in flying form at the Gerry Ryan Invitational with Ellen Farndon getting her divisional times in the 100 backstroke and the 50 freestyle and Ellen O’Connor getting her divisional times in the 100 breaststroke.

Thanks to our lead coach, Cathal O’Brien who, as always, gave huge support and encouragement to our swimmers. Thanks also to all parents for travelling and taking part in timekeeping duties, particularly Samantha O’Connor and Mary O’Leary who kept everything running smoothly.

At last!  The results of our Christmas Quiz are out and our panel of expert judges have chosen a winner.

The answers are:

1. 100 C in a E     One hundred cents in a euro.
2. The L L, M L and U L – the 3 L of K     The Lower Lake, Middle Lake and Upper Lake – the 3 Lakes of Killarney.
3. The R L is 23 K L    The river Laune is 23 kilometres long.
4. I the 1 by D J K      I’m the 1 by DJ Khaled.
5. B, B, B and F – the 4 S of the I M      Butterfly, Back, Breast and Freestyle – the 4 strokes of the Individual Medley. (Frontcrawl was accepted here also.)
6. W L D by M 5     What lovers do by Maroon 5.
7. N 21, K to T      N21, Killarney to Tralee.
8. O’C O’S, S, 58 HS     O’Connor O’Shea, Solicitors, 58 High Street.
9. S C is C to T by J 5     Santa Claus is coming to town by Jackson 5.
10. T M is 535 M H        Torc Mountain is 535 metres high.
11. K S C – F 2012        Killarney Swimming Club – founded 2012.
12. K R C, W and A evening – 30/11/2017     Killarney Rotary Club, Wine and Art evening – 30/11/2017.
13. 2 over P is a D B in G     Two over par is a double bogey in golf.
14. N A, the 1st M on the M     Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon.
15. 15 is the S R of 225      15 is the square root of 225.
16. The A I M F F, K 6-17, D 1-8     The All Ireland Minor Football Final, Kerry 6-17, Derry 1-8.
17. 2 H are B T 1     Two heads are better than one.
18. I T 1 to K 1        It takes one to know one.
19. 1, D P U the P      One, don’t pick up the phone.
20. 5 L D W out 1 D       Five little ducks went out one day.
21. P (F 18th – M 20th)      Pisces (February 18th – March 20th).
22. B R 2049      Blade Runner 2049.
23. M A, F 1448      Muckross Abbey, founded 1448.
24. 2, D L H in      Two, don’t let him in.
25. P F – 10th to 12th A       Puck Fair – 10th to 12th August.

The tiebreaker question was: “What Christmas Carol do dogs like?”

Our winner is Saibh O’Brien from A Squad who answered all questions correctly and came up with the brilliant tiebreak answer of “The Furry-Tail of New York!”

Well done, Saibh.  Enjoy the cinema and those hot chocolates.

Congratulations to our swimmers who took part in the Development 1 Gala in Tralee recently with substantial improvements by our swimmers on their own “personal best” times and a very satisfactory haul of medals given the stiff competition.
Over 14 boys – Niall Coffey had a great day out winning a full set of medals – gold in the 100 freestyle, silver in the 50 backstroke and bronze in the 50 butterfly.   Jack McGuire, another serious contender in this age group, took the bronze in both the 100 IM and 50 freestyle.
Over 14 girls – Imogen O’Connor was the girl on fire on the day winning golds in all of her events – the 100 IM, 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle and 50 breaststroke – must be something in her DNA.  Chloe Whelan turned on the style winning a very impressive gold in the 50 butterfly and then followed that with a pair of silvers in the 100 IM and the 50 freestyle.  Mairead Egan was another girl setting down a marker winning silvers in the 50 butterfly and 50 backstroke and bronze in the 100 IM, which meant that Killarney won all the medals in the 100 IM!  Saoirse Sweeney finished off a very good day for the club with a tasty bronze in the 50 breaststroke – well done, Saoirse.
Thanks to our coach, John Edwards, who gave huge support and encouragement to all our swimmers. Thanks also to all parents for travelling and taking part in timekeeping duties.

Congratulations to all our swimmers who took part in the recent Invitational Gala in Askeaton.  A fantastic day out was had by all with some great times achieved.

Under 12 Boys – Peter O’Doherty showed some real style to win silver in the 50 metres butterfly.

Under 14 Girls – Molly Whelan had a marvellous day in the pool taking a beautiful gold in the 50 metres butterfly, silver in the 50 metres breaststroke and yet another silver in the 100 metres Individual Medley while Saoirse Sweeney won a great silver in the 50 metres butterfly and Emma O’Sullivan won the bronze in the same race – a 1, 2, 3 for Killarney! Chloe Whelan showed some super form to take the bronze in the 50 metres breaststroke.

Under 14 Boys – Nathan O’Connor was a force to be reckoned with, winning a silver in the 50 metres backstroke and a bronze in the 50 metres butterfly.

Under 16 Girls – Roisin Kennedy rounded off a perfect day for the club with a silver in the 50 metres breaststroke.

Thanks to our coach, John Edwards, who gave huge support and encouragement to our swimmers on the day. Thanks also to parents for travelling and doing time-keeping.

Thanks also to everyone who took part and contributed their time to our Christmas Gala last Sunday. We had a massive turnout with the family race being won by the Hickey family who narrowly beat the O’Sullivans. Thanks in particular to Mike O’Sullivan our MC on the deck, Samantha O’Connor for organising the whole thing and to our coaches, Cathal O’Brien, John Edwards and Betty Mcguire and our assistant coaches, Rebecca Twomey and Emma Quirke.

The biggest thanks, however, must go to poor Santa who managed to arrive at the last minute despite the traffic congestion. He had to slap the sleigh down near the Castle Heights and run the rest of the way so, admittedly, he was a bit muddy and sweaty, but he said afterwards that the exercise had done him good.

Have a wonderful Christmas and we will see everyone back in the pool in January 2018!

Congratulations to all our swimmers who took part in the Kingdom Invitation Gala in Tralee on the 26th of November. As always, it was an exciting day out for all involved, with Killarney swimmers winning an incredible nineteen medals.

Under 13 Boys – Nathaniel Doncel was in flying form winning silver in the 200 metres freestyle, silver in the 50 metres freestyle and a lovely bronze in the 100 metres backstroke.

Under 15 Girls – Ellen O’Connor laid down some markers winning silver in the technically difficult 100 metres breaststroke.

Under 15 Boys – Paudie O’Leary showed everyone who was the boss winning golds in the 100 metres and 50 metres freestyle, silver in the 100 metres backstroke and a bronze in the 100 metres butterfly while Charles O’Brien returned to the winning podium with a silver in the 100 metres breaststroke. Donal Daly took a very fast bronze in the 200 metres freestyle – a swimmer to watch.

Over 16 Girls – Margaret O’Brien only had eyes for gold, winning in both the 200 metres breaststroke and the 100 metres backstroke. Meanwhile Niamh Coffey was winning medals all over the place, taking gold in the 200 metres freestyle and a trio of silver medals in the 100 metres butterfly, and both the 50 metres and 100 metres freestyle.

Over 16 Boys – Paul O’Leary won two very good bronze medals in the 200 and 100 metres breaststroke while Alan O’Shea took a well-deserved and hard-fought bronze in the 50 metres freestyle.

Thanks to our coaches, Cathal O’Brien, Leontia Doody and John Edwards who gave wonderful support and encouragement on the day. Thanks also to all parents for travelling and for taking part in the timekeeping.

Finally, thanks to everyone for supporting the Killarney Rotary Club Wine & Art night where Killarney Swimming Club was one of the nominated sports clubs and thanks to Killarney Rotary Club for nominating us this year. Your support will help in the purchase of specialist swimming equipment to be used by our swimmers for years to come.

Congratulations to all our swimmers who took part in the first Grade II gala of the season in Tralee on the 10th of November. We had a mix of new swimmers and seasoned veterans taking part with all of them doing Killarney proud.

Under 11 Girls – Ava O’Malley had a fantastic day out taking a beautiful gold in the 100 metres Individual Medley and following that up with a bronze in the 100 metres backstroke.

Under 11 Boys – Ian Coffey was in flying form winning silver in the 100 metres breaststroke and bronze in the 100 metres freestyle. Certainly a swimmer to watch for the future.

Over 14 Girls – Ellen Farndon won a lovely gold in the 100 metres backstroke while Saibh O’Brien also took the gold for Killarney in the 100 metres breaststroke. Elizabeth McGuire gave it welly to win bronze in the 100 metres breaststroke and Ellen O’Connor decided to go for quantity winning silver in the 200 metres Individual Medley, silver in the 100 metres backstroke and bronze in the 100 metres Individual Medley. Orlaith O’Sullivan had a great day out seizing silver in the 100 metres breaststroke and bronze in the 100 metres freestyle.

Over 14 Boys – Sean Farndon continued his winning ways from last year to take a gold medal in the 200 metres Individual Medley, another gold in the 100 metres backstroke and a bronze medal in the 100 metres breaststroke. Another man on fire was Charles O’Brien who took to the podium three times, winning gold in the 100 metres freestyle, bronze in the 200 metres freestyle and another bronze in the 100 metres backstroke. Michael Sweeney finished off a very satisfactory day for Killarney by taking a technically perfect bronze in the 100 metres butterfly.

Thanks to our coaches, Cathal O’Brien, Leontia Doody and John Edwards who gave huge support and encouragement to all swimmers on the day. Thanks also to parents for travelling and doing time-keeping.