Enniskillen Lakelanders Host Junior Gala
12 Nov 2023
Enniskillen Lakelanders host their first Junior Gala of the Season
Thank you Mary Ann Salcedo for the photos :-)
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their first fundraising Gala of the season on Sunday 12th November, with an event aimed at younger swimmers. Joining competitors from the local club were 13 visiting clubs from around the Ulster region. For many of the 8-14-year-old competitors, this would be their first taste of individual competition, that all important first step for every sportsperson.
Swim Ireland referee Lars Beheme oversaw the 226 excited swimmers in attendance. Lars was supported by strong group of 50 parents and older swimmers volunteering from the Lakelanders club which helped ensure that the busy gala ran smoothly. It was a successful event for the Lakelanders raising much needed club funds and giving swimmers the chance to put their training into practise and show off their talents with a haul of 54 medals and over 100 PBs on the day.
Gold medals were achieved by Mollie Kate Brewster (8) 50m Breaststroke, Michael Carron (10) 50m Breaststroke, Darragh Collins (12) 50m Breaststroke, Sophie Hanna (11) 50m Backstroke, Jakub Mikiewicz Lumayad (9) 50m Backstroke, Butterfly, Breaststroke and Freestyle, Crea Mullen (11) 50m & 100m Freestyle, Ava Neal (13) 50m & 100m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, Erin Salcedo (13) 100m Freestyle, younger sister Keira Salcedo (11) 100m Breaststroke and Emma Speer (12) 50m Breaststroke.
The medals continued to flow with Silver positions awarded to Mollie Kate Brewster (8) 50m Freestyle, Butterfly & Backstroke, Daire Burke (11) 100m Breaststroke, Darragh Collins (12) 50m Freestyle & 100m Breaststroke, Emmett Coyle (11) 50m Breaststroke, Finn Coyle (8) 50m Backstroke & Freestyle, Lorcan Doherty (14) 100m Breaststroke, Sophie Hanna (11) 100m Backstroke, Nimah Howell (9) 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, Myleene Leonard (12) 50m Freestyle, Tori Lilly (13) 50m Breaststroke, Martha McCreesh (12) 50m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, Joseph McKenna (8) 50m Breaststroke, Anton Neal (12) 50m Breaststroke, Ava Neal (13) 100m Freestyle, Erin Salcedo (13) 50m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle & 100m Breaststroke, Keira Salcedo (11) 50m Breaststroke, Emma Speer (12) 100m Breaststroke.
Bronze medals were secured by Enda Burke (13) 100m Freestyle & 50m Breaststroke, Michael Carron (10) 50m Backstroke, Josh Cassidy (13) 50m Backstroke, Emmett Coyle (11) 100m Breaststroke, Finn Coyle (8) 50m Breaststroke, Clara Leonard (10) 50m Backstroke & 50m Breaststroke, Martha McCreesh (12) 100m Freestyle, Russell Mikievicz Lumayad (13) 100m Backstroke, Ryan Mongan (13) 100m Breaststroke and Tori Reid (13) 100m Breaststroke.
Not only did the local swimmers top the board on the medals count but many impressed their coaches by their strong swimming and new PBs including Charles Armstrong (11), Holly Barkley (12), Shannon Brennan (12), Rebecca Curran (12), Anna May Hill (12), Katie James (13), Maddie Maguire (11), Gavin Man (12), Tiana Mbeulani (10), Holly McCabe (12), Olivia McCaffrey (13), Katie McGowan (11), James McSorley (10), Luna Murphy (12), Tadhg Murphy (12), Ella Neal (11), Kealan Rice (10), Maia Rolston-McAuliffe (12) & Finley Walker- Leonard (12).
A large number of our young swimmers were competing at an individual meet for the first time – some of whom have only joined the club in the past three weeks including Leah Bannon (11), Domhnall Burke (9), Ella Rose Carron (8), Maria Clifford (9), Conor Collins (10), Tara Collins (8), Rachel Curran (10), Joshua Hill (10), Orlaith Howell (8), April Huang (9), Emily Irvine (8), Ciara Kennedy (10), Ellie Kennedy (9), Elin O’Donohue (9), Daithi Owens (10), Erin Quigley (11), Natalie Swidani (10) and Tori Veitch (10).
Chairperson Aideen Speer expressed her thanks to a wide range of people who all came together to make the Junior gala a success - praising all club members for their help and support, events like these can only run with the help and hard work of the volunteers. Thanks are also expressed to the staff at the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum for facilitating our event. The club are indebted to the generous sponsorship provided by local businesses (FM Metals, Enniskillen Tyre Centre, Mullen Domestic, Campbell Contracts Ltd, Cassidy and McCreesh Orthodontic Practice, SCH Construction, Encirc and Lisdergan Butchery). We are also very grateful to all local businesses and parents who donated and sourced a large number of wonderful raffle prizes and donations to our gala cafe.
Aideen praised Michelle Reihill, gala secretary for her trojan work behind the scenes and for the smooth running of the gala. She also thanked all the coaching team made up of mostly volunteers for their commitment to all the swimmers. The support of the coaching team ensured we had a competitive event which was also an enjoyable learning experience for all. The Lakelanders Club endeavours to make swimming fun for everyone and that happened today, it was clear to see from all the smiling faces of our own swimmers and our visiting competitors. We now look forward with renewed confidence to a great year of swimming.
The Senior swimmers are in action next weekend with the Ulster Short Course Championships at Lagan Valley Leisureplex Lisburn, good luck to all our competitors.
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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
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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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