
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.
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.