
Lakelanders Aim for Success at Irish Div 2 Finals
10 Jul 2019

Every year swimmers throughout Ireland spend 10 months training and competing at club and regional level with the goal of qualifying for the National Div 1 and Division 2 Finals. Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club are proud that in recent years a growing amount of Fermanagh swimmers have seen their efforts in training pay off with qualification to compete against the best in the country.
This year the club has an unprecedented 17 swimmers qualified at the elite level which begins this Thursday 11th July in Limerick with the National Division 2 Finals. The event run to Fina Olympic standards takes place across 4 days and 6 young Lakelanders will be making the long journey with high hopes and high confidence from many months of hard training and competing.
Niamh O’Kane, 16 is the oldest Lakelander and a swimmer who regularly qualifies at national level. Niamh will compete in the 50m and 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle and the 200m Individual Medley.
Cora Cassidy, 13 had a brief taste of the Division 2 finals in 2018 when she joined the relay team and having now qualified in 2 events returns to the Championships where she will compete in the 50m Freestyle and the 200m Backstroke.
Eimear Magee, 15 has had an outstanding season in 2018/19 culminating in her qualification for the finals for the first time. Eimar will swim the 100m and 200m Butterfly and the 200m Freestyle.
Annabel Morrison, 12, having battled injury early in the season, sealed her recovery to qualify at national level for the first time. Annabel takes to the water in her favourite stroke: the Breaststroke for the 100m and 200m races.
Jamie Lannon, 11 has had a barnstorming season and is definitely a local swimmer with a huge future. Jamie's impressive results at Ulster level means he has every chance to translate this into National success. He is swimming every stroke at various distances, 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, 100 Butterfly and the 200m Individual Medley.
Fermanagh's youngest swimmer to attend the Limerick finals is 11 year old Tom Buchanan a swimmer who's young age belies a growing talent in the water. Tom competes in the 50m Freestyle.
Lakelanders Chairperson Sara Lannon thanked head coach Aaron Rickhuss for his superb training to get the swimmers to this level and wished every swimmer all success saying: 'At our recent End of Season Gala, we saluted the efforts of our national hopefuls. We're all excited for them and we know they'll do themselves and the club proud on the national stage'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.