Lakelanders Resume National and Regional Competitions
03 Aug 2021
The Swim Ireland Summer Meet was moved from Dublin's NAC to the Bangor venue but with spectators still not permitted. 16yr old Ellie Mc Cartney, who was competing against swimmers up to 9 years older than her, smashed her 200m Breaststroke Personal Best for the for the first time in almost 2 years finishing third in the Open race in 2:36.12. She also finished third in the 100m Breaststroke. Ellie recorded the fastest time in the women's 400m Individual Medley (5:08.85) as well as another PB in the 200m Freestyle (2:09.55). On the final day Ellie swam to another third place in the 200m IM and another fantastic best ever time of 2:22.44. Although swimming against ages much older than herself, Ellie finished top in her age group in 100m and 200m Breaststroke, 200m and 400 Individual Medley. After a topsy-turvey pandemic-affected season it was great to see Ellie back to her best and ready to rest now in preparation for another busy season ahead in 2021-22.
Dara Ronan (17) had a successful meet and was pleased with his performances. Dara progressed through to finals in all three of his events, finishing in second place in the 50m Butterfly with a 0.56 second PB, second place in the 200m Butterfly and third in the 100m Butterfly with a 0.11 second PB in the competitive 17-18 age group. Dara had the great experience of swimming alongside Irish Paralympian Butterfly record-holder, Barry McClements who we'll all hopefully hear more from when he takes part Tokyo Paralympian Games shortly.
Cora Rooney (16) competed in three events across the three day competition, finishing in fourth place in the 50m Backstroke and the fastest in her age group. Cora had an impressive swim in the 50m Butterfly where she improved her ranking from the 5th seed to a second place finish with a PB of 1.18 seconds and again the fastest in her age group.
Day 1 of the Swim Ulster Summer Swim Festival last weekend saw the 3 Lakelanders' swimmers demonstrate the great progress they've made despite the challenges of lockdown, to finish with a number of well-deserved PBs across their events.
First up for the Lakelanders was Ellie Dunlop (12) who produced a strong swim to finish in second place in the 100m Breaststroke with a 6.2 second PB. Ellie followed this with a third place finish in the 100 Backstroke with a 2.62 second PB and in her final race of the afternoon she produced another PB finishing in fourth place 200m Individual Medley with a 5.33 second time improvement.
Hannah Lynch (12) finished in third place in the 50m Freestyle with a PB of 1.43 seconds. Hannah followed this with a very strong swim in the 200, Individual Medley where she finished in third place with an impressive 19.17 second PB, Hannah also completed the 50m Butterfly event where she was close to her PB.
Hayden James (14) had a very successful meet. Swimming in the 200m Freestyle he knocked a whopping 10.31 seconds of his previous time placing him in fourth position. Hayden then swam in the 50m Freestyle earning him a 2 second PB placing him seventh in his age group.
As restrictions have gradually eased recently, the local Enniskillen Lakelanders were able to finally resume training for a short period before the end of the normal annual season, but due to the lack of training during the majority of the 2020-21 season and the timing of these events, the numbers taking part were quite low compared to pre pandemic levels of participation. However the Lakelanders' volunteer committee are currently hard at work preparing for the new season which starts in September.
Lakelanders Chairperson, Sara Lannon expressed her pride in seeing club members once again keeping the spirit of swimming competition alive saying, 'after such a tough period for everyone, it's truly wonderful to see our swimmers back at training and getting back to competing against the best in the Ulster and in Ireland. We're all looking forward to the start of the new season in September when I'm confident we can continue moving the club and our swimmers back to pre-covid normality'.
- 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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