Writes Ciaran Dineen
It was an incredible start to the long-weekend for Myrtleville swimmer and Carrigaline man, Jim Shalloo, after he swam the English channel in a brilliant time of 10hrs 43 minutes. Jim, who is a former Lieutenant Commander and Captain of the LÉ NIAMH, set himself the task in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.
The Carrigaline man is a very experienced swimmer and has been a long-time member of the Myrtleville swimmers group. At approximately 12:30 AM on Saturday morning, Jim dove near Dover and set off on his journey, while many others were tucked up in bed. He was accompanied by a crew of friends and family aboard the Louise Jane vessel.
Jim (Centre) with friends and family
Jim set himself a goal of raising €7,000 for the cause and at time of writing he has surpassed that figure, reaching €7,735 with money still pouring in! Describing the monumental event on his GoFundMe Page Jim says,
“I have been a swimmer all my life and have decided to set myself a personal challenge, while at the same time trying to do some good for others – I am attempting to swim the English Channel in late July to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. All monies raised here will go directly to the charity.”
With the body a bit sore having reached the shore, Jim celebrated in the best way possible, cracking open a bottle of Peroni as he laid back in the comfort of the Louise Jane.
He was met with delight by sons David and Rob, who recently had his own celebrations after he graduated from Oxford with a PhD, while daughter Hannah received the news at home in Carrigaline upon her dad’s arrival.
Carol Cashell, and Finbarr Hedderman were also present in support of Jim. Speaking to the Carrigdhoun Newspaper after the event the 56 year-old said, “I trained over the past two years for the swim and must thank my Coach Eilish Burns, from Cork for all her help and advice. She has vast experience training Channel Swimmers and I was lucky enough to get her time and expertise. Of course I must also thank my wife Carole and my family for all their support and so too my swimming friends, in particular Bernard Lynch, Crosshaven who mentored me for the challenge.”
Congratulations Jim!
If you want to donate towards Jim’s swim you can use the link provided! https://www.gofundme.com/jim039s-english-channel-swim
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