South Lake Masters

🎩🌍 The hats have been touring, and our swimmers have been swimming… our crew making WAVES this Bank Holiday weekend! 😮‍💨👏🏼🏊‍♀️

Kicking things off with Fiona & Aoife — our mother-daughter duo — taking to Copenhagen! 🇩🇰🏊‍♀️

A 2K swim through the canals of Copenhagen around the Royal Palace ✅ What an experience! The water wasn’t too cold, and it was lovely and clear. Highly recommend adding this one to the list for next year! 🙌🏼

🇮🇹 in Cittadella, Italy with Carla — a gorgeous 50m outdoor pool, sunshine, and of course… pizza and vino to refuel afterwards! 🍕🍷☀️

And wait for it… 👀

💪🏼🎉 NEIL IS OFFICIALLY A MARATHON SWIMMER! 🎉💪🏼

Our Lane One rocket took on a 10K swim in Loch Lomond and absolutely smashed it! Making it look easy — what an incredible achievement! 🏊‍♂️🔥

From Copenhagen to Cittadella to Loch Lomond… our swimmers are certainly keeping the hats busy! 🎩🌍

What a crew. What a weekend. What a way to make waves! 🌊👏🏼

🌊🏊🏼‍♀️Omeath → Warrenpoint → Omeath! 🌊🏊🏼‍♀️

Huge congratulations to Aoife, Kelly, Fiona and Tess on completing the challenging open water swim from Omeath to Warrenpoint and back to Omeath🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️

A fantastic effort from all four — determination, strength and plenty of teamwork!

And a special CONGRATULATIONS to Tess on taking the title of First Female Winner in the Skins! 🏆🥇 What a result!

Well done ladies — absolutely brilliant! 👏🧡💙

🌊 CROSS LOUGH SWIM SQUAD TWO — DONE! 🌊

Huge congratulations to Brown Shoes Triathlon Club and especially our very own South Lakes member Kirsten, who took on the Belfast Lough relay at the weekend alongside Karen, Liam and Sharon! 👏🏊‍♀️

The squad made the crossing from Grey Point to Carrickfergus Castle in a fantastic time, with near-perfect conditions making for a spectacular evening on and in the water.

It sounds like they enjoyed every minute — although perhaps the jellyfish could have stayed at home! 🪼😄

👏 Well done, Brown Shoes Triathlon Club — and congratulations Kirsten! 🏊‍♀️💪

And theyre not done yet with many more support swimmers taking on the challenge, theres still time to support them:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bstc-cross-the-lough-charity

🏊‍♀️☀️ Another successful South Lake Masters trip to Mallorca! 🇪🇸

What a fantastic week away with our amazing members! From swimming in the beautiful outdoor 50-metre pool under the Mallorcan sunshine ☀️ to plenty of laughs, fun and great company, it was another trip to remember.

It’s safe to say we came home with happy members, great memories and plenty of smiles all round! 🧡💙

A huge thank you to everyone who made the trip so special. We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🏊‍♂️🌴

🏊‍♂️🏆 British Transplant Games! 🏆🏊‍♂️

A huge congratulations to South Lake Masters members Gregory Walsh and Turlough O’Hagan, who have both had an outstanding day in the pool! 👏👏👏

🥇 Turlough O’Hagan — 3 Golds 🥇🥇🥇 + 1 Silver 🥈
🥇 Gregory Walsh — 2 Golds 🥇🥇 + 1 Silver 🥈

What an incredible achievement from both of you! 💪🏊‍♂️ Your hard work, determination and dedication have truly paid off.

Congratulations guys — South Lake Masters are so proud of you🧡💙

🌊 CROSS LOUGH SWIM — THEY DID IT! 🌊

The Brown Shoes Triathlon Club successfully completed their Cross Lough Charity Swim, crossing from Grey Point to Carrickfergus Castle after weather postponements👏🏼

A huge well done to the swimmers, support crew and boat crew and a special shout out to our South Lake Masters member Donal, aka “Dolphin Donal” 🐬, who swam the full distance as a support swimmer🎉

The swim was organised by Brown Shoes Triathlon Club to raise vital funds in support of Air Ambulance NI and Belfast Lough Sailability. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported us. Every penny makes a difference! 🙏

🧡💙 Donations are still very welcome:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bstc-cross-the-lough-charity-swim?utm_medium=CF&utm_source=CL

☀️ Summer is well underway, and what a jam-packed few opening weeks it's been for South Lake Masters! 🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♂️🧡💙

From open water racing, masters galas to our famous club hats travelling the world with our members have certainly been keeping busy!

In no particular order...

🏅 Our longest-serving members, Turlough and John Irwin, competed at Day 2 of the Masters Gala at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin, alongside Fiona and Fergus for their debut. Between the four of them, they brought home an incredible collection of gold medals in their events and age categories, along with Ulster records. A fantastic achievement and a testament to their dedication⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌊 Congratulations to Ruth, who claimed 3rd place in her open water race at Camlough Lake, proving once again that our Lane 1 swimmers are in a league of their own!

🛟 Another huge congratulations to John Irwin, who is featured on the cover of the RNLI Lifeboat magazine in recognition of his role as a Beach Lifeguard. We are incredibly proud to have such a dedicated volunteer representing both the RNLI and South Lake Masters. Well deserved, John! 👏🌊

👏 A special mention also goes to our members Steven and Lois Craig, whose son Jamie Craig, swimming for Lurgan Junior Swimming Club, finished 1st Male Junior at the Lord & Lady of Camlough Lake event. Watch this space—he's only getting started, and what an incredible start he's made!

🧢✈️ And, of course... our South Lake Masters hats have been clocking up the air miles!

So far they've been spotted in:
🇫🇷 France
🇬🇧 Canary Wharf
🇪🇸 Sarria
🇬🇧 East Wittering
🇮🇹 Sicily
🇹🇷 Marmaris

..and wait for it...

🇺🇸 Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi 🌺🏄

Our hat even paid a visit to the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, one of the greatest watermen in history—a fitting stop for our beloved club hat, honouring a man whose legacy spans both the pool and the ocean.

There's certainly plenty of Aloha Spirit in our Masters club. ❤️🌺

Here's to many more races, personal bests, adventures, and hats on tour throughout the rest of the summer. Keep flying the South Lake Masters flag wherever you go! 🧡💙🌍

A massive Happy Friday to the fantastic South Lake Masters crew competing today at the Irish Masters Long Course International Open Meet (50m) in the stunning National Aquatic Centre, Dublin💪🏼🏊🏊🏼‍♀️

As you can see, they’re being weighed down by all that bling🥇The team delivered an incredible performance, collecting medals, smashing personal bests, and wearing plenty of smiles along the way.

To top it all off, John and Fiona both came home with new Ulster records. What a fantastic achievement by everyone involved—congratulations, team🧡💙👏

A huge congratulations to South Lake Masters Swimming Club member Gregory Walsh on his fantastic performances at the European Transplant Games, where he proudly represented Transplant Sport Northern Ireland👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Gregory not only competed at this prestigious event but also achieved outstanding podium finishes, claiming 🥉 Bronze in the 100m Freestyle and 🥇 Gold in the 50m Backstroke’

These remarkable results are a testament to Gregory’s dedication, determination, and hard work both in and out of the pool. We are incredibly proud to have him as part of the South Lake Masters family🧡💙

Well done, Gregory you are amazing💪🏼

BronzeMedal

No better way to end another successful season at South Lake Masters Swimmer Club than a trip to Camlough for a swim in the sunshine☀️🏊🏼🏊🏼‍♀️