
Irish National Winter Championship
19 Dec 2022

Swim Ireland’s 2022 Irish National Winter Championship took place at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin from Thursday 15th – Saturday 17thDecember. Over 500 swimmers from both Ireland and overseas competed at the final National Championship meet of 2022.
While a host of elite swimmers competed for National titles it was Daniel Wiffen’s incredible swim in the 800m Freestyle, becoming the first ever Irishman to break a European record, that stole the show. Without doubt there was a lot of cheering in Fermanagh as Enniskillen Lakelanders head coach Ben Wiffen watched his brother storm home.
Under Ben Wiffen’s excellent coaching ,two of Enniskillen Lakelanders age group swimmers made the qualifying standard to make their debut at the Winter Championships.
After a brilliant technical start Ellie Dunlop (13) completed her 200m Breaststroke coming in on her PB and finished the event as the fourth fastest 13-year-old at this open meet. Head Coach Ben Wiffen praised the young swimmer “This was a big step up for Ellie competing at her first National open Championships. She showed no fear and gained valuable experience racing against Irelands best, at such a young age – a key component for long-term success in the sport.”
Jamie Lannon (14) executed a super-fast sprint in the 50m Breaststroke, achieving a 1 second PB finishing in a time of 32.53s and finishing the fastest 14-year-old in this open competition. Ben also had praise for Jamie’s performance “A strong and powerful performance from Jamie who has worked diligently on improving his breaststroke speed, showcasing this in a stacked field of senior sprinters.’
Both Ellie Dunlop and Jamie Lannon have had an incredible year of swimming success becoming regional and national medallists. To qualify and finish amongst the top of their age groups at this prestigious championship is an incredible achievement at such a young age, and both young swimmers are thrilled to have finished the 2022 season on a high. The Lakelanders look forward to seeing what these promising young athletes deliver in the coming season.
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Swim Ireland's Irish Youth and Senior Summer National Championships 2026 took place from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th July at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. The five-day event saw 1125 swimmers from over 120 clubs compete from all over Ireland to as far afield as Dubai. The path to nationals is paved by hundreds of hours in the pool so to qualify for this prestigious competition is a huge achievement for the swimmers. There was high excitement among the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers who had qualified to compete.
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club were well represented on the National stage at the 2026 Irish Age Group National Championships at the University of Limerick Sports Arena last week. Two young Lakelanders’ swimmers joined almost 700 swimmers from over 100 clubs competing over four days of exciting competition, bringing home a National title to Enniskillen.
With the 2025/2026 swimming season coming to an end, the finale for the competitive swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders is the Irish Summer National competitions. These competitions will take place across two meets in July with Age Group Championships will take place in Limerick, followed by Irish Summer National Youth & Senior Championships in Dublin. There is great excitement among the 7 local swimmers who have qualified to compete at these events.
A squad of 21 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders showcased their talent at the Swim Ulster Swim Festival 2026, held at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Lisburn, on Sunday 28 June, delivering a series of outstanding performances against strong competition.
The Lakelanders rose to the occasion in style, returning home with an impressive haul of medals and personal bests (PBs), highlighting the hard work, determination and commitment of these talented young athletes.
A squad of 20 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC made a big splash at the Swim Belfast Invitational 2026, held at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast, on Sunday 7th June, delivering a series of outstanding performances against strong competition.
The Lakelanders rose to the occasion in style, returning home with an impressive haul of medals and personal bests (PBs), highlighting the hard work, determination, and commitment of these talented young athletes.
Banbridge Open Long Course Meet took place in Craigavon’s South Lakes Leisure Centre on Saturday the 6th of June.
A squad of 11 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers, along with Head Coach Fionna Orr, made their way to the fabulous South Lakes Leisure Centre long course (50m) swimming pool for the final club meet of the season for the older swimmers. This meet provided the final opportunity for competitive swimmers to qualify for Swim Ireland's Irish Summer National competitions. As a bonus Banbridge swimming club had extended their invitation to clubs from all over Ireland. The chance to achieve qualifying times and compete against the best in Ireland was too good to miss.
A squad of 9 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club attended the Ulster Age Group and Senior LC Championships at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on 1st, 2nd & 3rd May. Competitors from across 32 clubs in Ulster met the tough qualification standards to take part in this key meet over three days, targeting Ulster podium spots, and those important Summer National qualification times.
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Spring Junior Gala on Sunday 26th April, an event aimed at younger swimmers. As the Lakelanders approach the first year complete at their temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 41 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from eleven 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.