
Lakelanders Trio Shine at Winter Nationals in Dublin
15 Dec 2024
Lakelanders Trio Shine at Winter Nationals in Dublin

Swim Ireland’s Irish Winter Championships got underway at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre at the weekend with over five hundred swimmers from seventy-seven clubs competing in the final national meet of 2024.
Three athletes from Enniskillen Lakelanders were excited to participate in this prestigious event and as per expectations they didn't disappoint, returning with personal best swims and high hopes for the long course season ahead building to the Irish Long Course finals in July 2025.
Ellie Dunlop (15) competed in the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke and the 100m Individual Medley. Ellie qualified for the 100m & 200m Breaststroke finals, securing new PBs. She hit the wall 3rd fastest 15 year old in the 100m Breaststroke finals and 5th fastest of her age group in the 200m Breaststroke. Another strong performance in the 50m Breaststroke placed her 2nd fastest among the 15 year olds. Ellie ranked in the top 6 of the 15 year olds in a fabulous 100m Individual Medley event.
Hannah Lynch (15) topped the rankings in her age group in the 800m Freestyle. Further strong performances placed her in the lead of her age group in the 1500m Freestyle, 4th in the 200m Backstroke heats, and 5th 15 year old in the 400m Freestyle.
Kate McDade (16) had strong swims in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke and 200m Individual Medley preliminary rounds to secure a place in the finals in all. With impressive performances, Kate was the 5th 16-year-old to hit the wall in the 100m Breaststroke final, 4th of her age group in the 200m Breaststroke final and ranked in the top 6 of the 16 year olds in the tight 200m IM final. Another PB in the 50m Breaststroke brought Kate into 4th place in her age group while further strong swimming brought her home in 5th position of the 16 year old rankings in the 100m Individual Medley.
Committee representative Janette Mongan praised the swimmers, saying 'the club are very proud of their achievements, they have shown our younger swimmers a shining example of what can be achieved from consistent hard work in training'.
The club also thank Head Coach Ben Wiffen for his great work with the swimmers, supported by the parent volunteers undertaking various roles to ensure the swimmers were able to represent Enniskillen at the highest level at this prestigious National competition.
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Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Autumn Junior Gala on Sunday 25th October at their temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre, an event aimed at younger swimmers. This was the club’s first home Gala of the new season and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 40 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from thirteen 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.
Swim Ireland referee Lars Behme oversaw 1027 entries from the 279 excited swimmers in attendance. Lars was supported by a strong group of over 30 parents and older swimmers volunteering from the Lakelanders club which helped ensure that the busy gala ran smoothly. It was a very 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 large haul of medals and an abundance of PBs on the day.
8 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 three days, 16th, 17th & 18th 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 swimmers.
Eleven young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn's Lagan Valley Leisureplex to kick-start the new swimming season at the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Gala on Saturday 10th October.
Accompanied by Head Coach Fionna Orr, the team took to the pool, ready to put their training into practice, challenge themselves and get the season off to a fantastic start.
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.