Last weekend 21 Fermanagh swimmers from the Enniskillen Lakelanders made their way to the Bangor Open Winter Festival, the first Long Course Gala of 2020. Held over 2 days in the 50m pool at the Aurora leisure Centre, the event saw the Lakelanders perform well with 9 Gold, 8 Silver and 12 Bronze medals returning to Fermanagh, alongside 67 PB’s, and numerous qualifying times for upcoming events.
The youngest Lakelander attending Hannah Lynch (10) swam 400m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly for the first time winning bronze in both. In the 200m Freestyle she obtained an 8 second PB and an all important qualifying time for the next level of regional competition.
Kate Mc Dade (11), was keen to gain Long Course experience, swam 2.5 sec PBs in 100m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle. Kate finished off with an impressive 7.5 sec PB in the challenging 200IM.
Tom Buchanan (11) competed in five events and was delighted to PB in all, notably smashing more than 6 seconds off in the 100m Butterfly event.
Hayden James (12) didn't disappoint with PBs in all four events, 100m Backstroke, 100m Freestyle, an impressive swim in the 200m Freestyle saw him achieve a 8.82s PB placing him 6th overall and finished with a PB in the 50m Freestyle earning him his first qualifying time.
Having just celebrated his 12th Birthday Jamie Lannon made great progress with very strong swims in his Backstroke and Freestyle events. Jamie impressed most in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke showing considerable improvement. Jamie proudly came away from the meet with three division two times, a bronze, two silver and a gold medal.
Cora Cassidy (13) competed in eight events, securing PBs across the 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle and securing the Bronze medal in the gruelling 400IM.
Anna Mc Dade (13) continued recent form, with two golds in her favoured 100m and 200m Breaststroke, securing division 1 times and qualifying for the Dave Mc Cullagh International meet and the Irish Long Course Open Championships. Gaining experience in other strokes, Anna impressed with 5 second PB and bronze medal in 200IM. Further PBs in 100m Butterfly and the 50m Freestyle securing top 5 finishes.
Isobel Lannon (13) swam to the coaches expectations, focusing on mid distance events this season Isobel showed technical consistency in the 50m and 200m Freestyle, skills which resulted in a PB in her targeted event the 400m Freestyle finishing 4th overall and achieving her first Division one time of the season. Izzy also finished top 4 in 3 events and achieved 5 division 2 times.
Emilie Reihill (13) competed in six events achieving 3 PBs in the 100m and 400m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke, silver medal for 100m Freestyle, and bronze medals in the 50m and 200m Freestyle, she achieved 5 Division 2 times, and secured her place at the Ulster Long Course Championships.
Ellie McCartney (14) competed in five events winning five Gold Medals with the highlight being a massive five second PB in the 100m Butterfly in a time of 1:07.41. The 14-year-olds time in the 200m Breaststroke and 200m IM was the fastest female time in the pool at the event. Ellie’s time in each event qualified her for the Irish Summer Nationals at the end of the season.
Cíosa McConnell (14) had great success achieving PBs across each of her seven events. The 400m Freestyle saw Ciosa impress with a 14 second PB and Bronze medal. She continued this form in the 200m Breaststroke with another Bronze medal and her first Division 1 qualifying time. Ciosa picked up a third Bronze of the day in the 50m Breaststroke and finished the day with a strong 200m IM. Day 2 saw Ciosa pick up a Silver medal in the 100m Breaststroke and a Division 1 qualifying time, finishing with strong swims in the 200m and 50m Freestyle.
Luke Aiken (15) had a fantastic start to 2020 with PBs across all his events. Luke had a target of 2 qualifying times at this meet and he didn’t disappoint securing the first of the times in his 50m Butterfly. He also had strong swims in the 100m and 200m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke. Going into his last swim of the weekend, 100m Butterfly, he achieved his qualifying time with a huge 6 second PB and his first Division 2 time.
Dara Ronan (15) swam in 6 Events, winning Gold in the tough 200m Butterfly and Bronze in the 100m Butterfly. Dara also had a good PB in the 50m Butterfly, finishing 4th. He also had top 10 finishes in the 200 IM, 100m Breaststroke and 50m Breaststroke (9th).
Anna Mc Glinchey (15) took part in 5 events the 100m Freestyle, 200m IM the 50m Butterfly and achieved PBs in the 100m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle.
Molly Johnston (15) swam in 5 events - 50m, 100m & 200m Breaststroke, 200IM and 50m Freestyle, achieving a Division 2 time, qualifying gala time and a PB in the 50m Freestyle. Under the guidance of coach Aaron, Molly is well prepared for the Long Course season ahead.
Alex Mc Glinchey (16) took part in the 50m Butterfly, PB of 1.28 seconds, 100m Freestyle where he improved his time by 0.20 seconds, 200m Freestyle with a PB of 0.89 and 50m Freestyle where he stayed in around his PB of 27.92 seconds.
Ben Lynch (16) competed in 5 events winning silver in his favoured events the 200m and 400m freestyle.
Lauren Keaney (16) swam extremely well at the Bangor Open winter festival, she achieved a PB in her 200m Breaststroke by an impressive 23 seconds, she also achieved PBs in her 50m and 100m Freestyle.
Lewis McCartney (17), swam in five events over the weekend and returned with a Silver Medal and a Bronze Medal in the 200m Backstroke and 200m Breaststroke. The latter time also gave him a first qualifying time for the Ireland Summer Nationals in the Ultra-Competitive Open section.
Kealan McShea (17) competed in 2 events, a good swim in the 100m Breaststroke to finish in 6th place was followed by a strong 200IM giving him 2nd place and his first Irish Summer National Championship qualification time.
Lakelanders' Head coach Aaron Rickhuss praised the swimmers efforts and results achieved by saying, 'all swimmers who raced this weekend deserve tomorrow off from training, but come Tuesday we'll be back in the pool working to build on these fantastic results, well done everyone, we've really got something special to build on here'.
Lakelanders' Club Chair, Sara Lannon paid tribute to the swimmers, coaches and parents saying, 'The Lakelanders club keeps going from strength to strength, 21 swimmers at this our first long course event of the season bodes very well for the build up to the Irish National finals in July. This shows how deserved our award of Swim Ulster, Club of the Year for last season was. We have our athletes, coaches and committee to thank for their efforts in achieving results of this calibre, everyone should be very proud'.
- 16 Feb 2026Lakelanders take the Lead in Lisburn
A squad of 33 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended the Swim Belfast Open Meet on Sunday the 15th of February in Lagan Valley Leisureplex, Lisburn. The gala was a great success for the Fermanagh swimmers who relished the opportunity to compete against swimmers from clubs across Ulster, Leinster & Connacht, returned home with numerous medals and personal best times. - 12 Feb 2026Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Sc
Local Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools as Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Schools’ Cup & Championships in Bangor
The Swim Ulster Schools Cup & Championships 2026 took place on Friday 6th February at Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex Bangor. Over 1000 swimmers from more than 130 schools across the province of Ulster took part in the one day event. Three local schools were part of the action with 22 local swimmers taking part. - 01 Feb 2026Young Lakelanders Swim to Success in Belfast
On Saturday 31st January, 13 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club competed in Round 3 of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Series at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast. The meet attracted over 450 swimmers aged 10–14 from across Ulster, all taking on the more challenging events of Individual Medley (IM), Backstroke and Butterfly.
The Lakelanders squad rose to the occasion, relishing the opportunity to race against strong provincial competition while aiming for personal best performances. - 26 Jan 2026Lakelanders Secure Medals & PBs at Swim Ulster Open Meet in Bangor
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed at Swim Ulster’s Open Long Course Meet at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex in Bangor on the 24 & 25th January. Swimmers from clubs all over Ireland attended this exciting start to the Long Course season and the Lakelanders were eager to race their fellow athletes in the fabulous 10 lane 50m pool at the Aurora. - 07 Dec 2025Lakelanders’ future challengers deliver strong swims in Omagh
A strong squad of Lakelanders junior swimmers took part in Swim Ulster Future Challengers Meet 2 at Omagh Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Coach Chelsey Weir was there to support the young swimmers who brought home a substantial haul of medal award pins and a raft of new personal times. - 07 Dec 2025Success for Lakelanders at Sliabh Beagh Winter Gala
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers made the journey to the Coral Leisure Centre Monaghan for Sliabh Beagh Swimming Club’s Winter Cluster Meet on 6th & 7th December. - 30 Nov 2025Lakelanders Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor on Saturday 29th November 2025. Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 22 swimmers across 10 local schools headed to Bangor determined to do the South-West proud and qualify for the All-Ireland Championships held in Dublin in March. Although a school competition, all the students attending are committed members of the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club and mustered all their skills and training in competing against the best swimmers from schools across Ulster. A successful day saw 4 podium finishes and an amazing number of swimmers qualify for the All-Ireland primary school championship to be held at the National Aquatic Centre Dublin next year. - 10 Nov 2025Lakelanders push for top performances at Dungannon’s 40th Anniversary Gala
A squad of 10 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended Dungannon Swimming Club’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Sunday the 9th November at Dungannon Leisure Centre. The gala was a great success for the young swimmers who returned home with numerous personal bests. - 27 Oct 2025Lakelanders Host First Home Gala in Omagh
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Autumn Junior Gala on Sunday 26th October, an event aimed at younger swimmers. This was the club’s first Gala in their new temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 37 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from nine other Ulster swimming clubs. For many of the 8-14 year-old competitors, this would be one their first experiences of individual competition, that all important first step for every sportsperson. - 19 Oct 2025Lakelanders secure awards and new PBs at Belfast Aspiring Champions Gala
11 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club made their way to the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in Belfast to compete at Swim Ulster's Aspiring Champions Meet; the first Gala of the season for swimmers aged 13 and over. The event was held over two days, 18th & 19th October. Coaches across Ulster use this gala to assess and monitor swimmers' skills, providing the scaffolding for the building blocks for success in the coming season.
All the work so far on skills and technique resulted in a slew of Swim Ulster Awards, personal bests and many top ten finishes for the Enniskillen Lakelanders.
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