Swimmers go pink for Limerick charity challenge
A WELCOME break in the grey sky provided the perfect backdrop to a swim in aid of a very good cause at the weekend.
More than 150 swimmers, many dressed in pink, gathered at Glin Pier to take a dip in the cold waters of the Shannon Estuary.
It was all in aid of breast cancer awareness and to raise money for research charities.
Members of two swimming groups, based along the estuary, got together for the event which raised €2,300 thanks to online donations and bucket collections on the day.
They were the Kilteery swimmers group and the Glin swimmers group.
The third year the groups have linked up, 2023’s event was the most-supported yet.
One of the organisers Aine Rimmer said: “It's nice, the two different swimming groups are near each other. So they come together. We picked Glin Pier as the location due to the access to the road.”
“It was a lovely coming together of people in the community, and even their families and friends travelled to do it. It's growing as a nice event,” she added.
Despite less than perfect weather across the weekend, for an hour between 11.30am and 12.30pm on Sunday, the clouds cleared providing comfortable swimming conditions.
“We were blessed with the weather, it was gorgeous,” Aine commented.
"There was a nice cross-section of children, teenagers, adults and older people. It was just lovely,” she added.
Despite it being late October, she insisted the water wasn’t that cold to swim in.
“There'd be a bit of a pinch in the water. But it was very placid, and it was a very calm experience. The water was beautiful, it was clear and sunny,” she added.
There was fun on the day with one of Aine's sons, 14-year-old Billy, donning a gingerbread man costume to give out free biscuits to the hardy swimmers.
A number of other youngsters dressed as mermaids.
Áine thanked Supervalu in Newcastle West for providing cakes and buns for the day.
Niall King donated tables and chairs, while Adams of Glin supplied crockery.
There was, of course, a serious message to what was a fun day, in that awareness of breast cancer was raised, with memories shared of people who have been so tragically lost to the condition.
An ‘intentions tree’ was set up which allowed people to leave a message in a pink book, and tie a ribbon on its branches.
These intentions will be heard at a Mass in the future.