
Lakelanders Swim to Success in Lisburn
30 Jan 2022

On Saturday 29th January 7 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to the Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn first of Swim Ulster’s ‘Future Challengers’ Series 2 Galas. This Gala series is for swimmers aged 10-12 and our young Lakelanders relished the opportunity for new PBs and a fun afternoon of competitive swimming.
The racing began with the mixed 100m Medley Relay event with the Lakelanders’ team consisting of Ryan Mongan, Martha McCreesh, Luke Lannon and Sophie Hannah placing 5th.
Then followed the individual races.
Sophie Hannah (10) gained an 8 second PB in her 50m freestyle, following up with another PB in the 25m freestyle kick, placing 4th in the event.
Luke Lannon (12) was pleased with his performance in his first competitive gala of 2022.
Swimming in the 12yr old category Luke achieved a personal best of 3:06.22 in his first ever 200m freestyle event and was pleased to finish with a top 5 finish. After a steady swim, Luke finished 6th overall in the 100m breaststroke.
Holly McCabe (11) took a fabulous 9 seconds off her 100m freestyle seed time, following up with more great swimming in the 100m breaststroke and 25m freestyle kick events.
Martha McCreesh (11) knocked a whopping 13 seconds off her 100m freestyle time, following up with a fabulous 17 second PB in the 100m breaststroke event, placing 4th in the final ranking.
Jessica Millar (11) began with a PB in the challenging 100m breaststroke, ranking her third fastest in her age group. She followed up with another good swim in the 25 m freestyle kick.
Ryan Mongan (12) swam very well in his first attempt at the challenging 200m freestyle event, following that with more great swims in the 100m breaststroke and 25m freestyle kick competitions.
Emily Stewart (12) knocked a fabulous 20 seconds off her seed time in the 100m breaststroke and gained a further PB in the 25m freestyle kick race.
The afternoon’s racing came to a close with the Freestyle Relay race with the Lakelanders’ team made up of Jessica Millar, Holly McCabe, Martha McCreesh, Emily Stewart, Ryan Mongan and Luke Lannon, placing 5th in an exciting end to a fabulous Gala experience for the young Lakelanders.
Chairperson Sara Lannon was very impressed with all the performances, particularly some of the newer members to competitive swimming.
“The commitment and hard work in training is really paying off and I know our coaches Ben Wiffen and Clare Morris will be very pleased with their progress.”
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.