Limerick man battles Russians, sea sickness and jellyfish stings during Channel swim
NOBODY said swimming across the English Channel was going to be easy.
Castletroy’s Mark Hannigan was hit by a big wave from a Russian military vessel, endured sea sickness and was stung by jellyfish. Yet he swam the over 50kms from Samphire Hoe Beach in Dover to Audinghen Beach, Cap-Gris-Nez, France in a time of 14 hours and 47 minutes.
“When I arrived at the beach in France it was the most amazing experience to see rocks underneath me just before I hit the beach. This is a memory I will always have.
“This swim was dedicated to the memory of Connor Clark who passed this summer. His mother Tracey was supposed to be on the boat but Deborah Vine stepped in for her. Having Connor’s name on the flag gave me the absolute determination not to give up,” said Mark, who gave Tracey the flag afterwards.
“She was absolutely delighted,” he said.
Mark can’t remember most of the swim but he does recall being stung by a jellyfish twice and being hit by a big wave from a Russian military vessel which moved to get out of their way.
His first stroke was 5.28am on August 2.
“Once we got outside the protective harbour it was quite choppy which resulted in me getting sea sick within the first hour, which at the time made me believe there was no way I was going to make it. I was distraught.
“At no stage was I allowed to touch the boat and even though black tea reduced the effects of sea sickness I was sea sick for the entire swim. Every time I felt like this sickness was going to get the better of me I looked at the Limerick flag and this really drove me on,” said Mark.
His boat called ‘The Optimist’ was captained by Paul Foreman and Jason Parrott, of the Channel Swimming Piloting Federation.
“On board was my crew of Mark Dempsey, my coach, Kevin Dennehy, Brian Dillon, Deborah Vine and official observer and Channel swimmer Rory Fitzgerald,” said Mark.
Mark said it was an “amazing experience all round” and so worth the effort he and everyone else put in.
“The locals in Kingstown (North of Dover) had a beach barbecue for us the following night and we were treated like royalty by these swimmers. Equally when I got back to Kilkee everyone was congratulating me and this was really appreciated,” said Mark.
Despite the arduous journey, he said “without doubt” the training was the hardest part of this venture.
“My wife Aoife, my daughter Caoimhe, my son Darragh and my parents Martin and Mary gave me the most fantastic support for the entire venture. I put in 15 months of hard training during which time the pools were mostly closed due to the pandemic. As a result I had to train outdoors during the winter which proved quite difficult.
“I did the bulk of my training swimming around the island at O’Brien’s Bridge, out at the Headrace in Ardnacrusha swimming against strong currents and Shannon Boat Club when travel restrictions were very tight.
“My coach Mark Dempsey did a great job prepping me. Mark’s wife Ailbhe coached me with pilates. My nutritionist Yvonne Deegan played a critical role in keeping me healthy as did my physios Alan Loftus and Ger Crotty. My mentor Greg Scanlon, who introduced me to swimming, provided me with great support every week.
“My inner circle of Kevin Dennehy, Brian Dillon, Brian Swift, Billy Cantillon and Pearse Ryan provided super support for me when I was training in horrible conditions, always turning up to swim with me for a while. I couldn’t have done this without these guys. Amazing people,” said Mark.
When restrictions eased and he could travel to the sea, the Kilkee swimmers came out in force to help him out.
“Sarah Barry, Maria Ryan, Sean and Triona, Alan Gleeson, Ger Purcell, Ciara Murphy, Shane Mallone, Diarmuid Hanrahan, John Ryan, Aoife O’Connell, Martin Shanahan, Miriam Callanan and so on. There was so many and I thank them all,” said Mark.