Swim Ireland ( ga, Cumann Snámh Éireann) is the national governing body of
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
,
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
,
open water swimming
Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers.
The beginning of the modern age of open water human swimming, swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when L ...
and
synchronised swimming
Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...
in the island of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
). Competitors from Northern Ireland can opt to compete for
British Swimming in international competitions, with the exception of the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
where they can compete for Northern Ireland.
Swim Ireland is affiliated with
LEN
Len or LEN may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Lén, a character from Irish mythology
* Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player
* Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ
*Le ...
,
FINA
FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...
and the
Olympic Council of Ireland
The Olympic Federation of Ireland or OFI ( ga, Cónaidhm Oilimpeach na hÉireann) (called the Irish Olympic Council until 1952 and the Olympic Council of Ireland until 2018) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the island of Ireland. At ...
.
History
Swim Ireland emerged in 1998 from the
Irish Amateur Swimming Association
The Irish Amateur Swimming Association (IASA) was the national governing body of swimming in Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1893 and held responsibility for the various aquatic disciplines until it was dissolved in January 1999 followi ...
(IASA), that was dissolved in January 1999 following proven sexual abuse and other scandals involving senior coaches. Swim Ireland assumed IASA abuse victim liabilities.
[Watterson, Johnny, 'Swim Ireland not bankrupt', Irish Times, 11 February 2008]
Domestic competitions
Swim Ireland runs national meets which include:
*Dave McCullagh Memorial (March/April)
*Irish Open Championships (April/May)
*Irish Age Groups Division 2 (June)
*Irish Age Group/Youth Championships (July)
*
Irish Open SC Championships {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
The Irish Open Short Course Championships along with the Irish LC Championships, are the highest level competition which takes place in Ireland. Commonly referred to as 'The Nationals' the competition is run by Swim ...
(July/August)
*Irish Open Diving Championships (November)
*Irish Age Groups Division 1
Swim Ireland works with the different regions in organising competitions such as provincial Age Group Championships as well as other graded, distance and inter-club meets. They also work with the Irish Schools Swimming Association who run the Irish Minor and Secondary Schools Championships.
The Age Group InterProvincial takes place every year at the beginning of the summer months for swimmers up to the age of 16 years. This is where teams from the 4 provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht) compete against each other.
These competitions take place in either the
National Aquatic Centre
The National Aquatic Centre (NAC) ( ga, Ionad Náisiúnta Uisce) is an indoor aquatics facility in Blanchardstown, Fingal, Ireland. The State-owned complex houses a 50-metre swimming pool with an associated diving pool, an aquapark and leisur ...
, Dublin or at University Arena, Limerick. Both pools have the compatibility to be changed into 50m and 25m.
In 2003, Swim Ireland hosted the European Short Course Championships at the
National Aquatic Centre
The National Aquatic Centre (NAC) ( ga, Ionad Náisiúnta Uisce) is an indoor aquatics facility in Blanchardstown, Fingal, Ireland. The State-owned complex houses a 50-metre swimming pool with an associated diving pool, an aquapark and leisur ...
in Dublin. The event was a resounding success with a world record being broken by the Dutch in the final race, the men's 4x50m Freestyle relay.
Swim Ireland also organise
The Liffey Swim
The Liffey Swim, currently titled the Jones Engineering Dublin City Liffey Swim, is an annual race in Dublin's main river, the Liffey, and is one of Ireland's most famous traditional sporting events. The race is managed by a voluntary not-for ...
which takes place in August to September annually.
Irish swimmers
Swim Ireland recently introduced a new squad structure. This begins with Club Level, then Regional Level, National Level and finally the Elite Squad.
See also
*
List of Olympic-size swimming pools in Ireland
List of long course swimming pools in Ireland is an annotated list of swimming pools in Ireland that conform to the Olympic standard. Additionally, it lists other long course facilities that do not quite come up to the full standard of 50 × 25 m ...
*
Sport in Ireland
Sport in Ireland plays an important role in Irish society. The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games (including Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), association football, horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, ...
*
Eddie Heron
James Edward Heron (28November 191023April 1985) was an Irish high diving and springboard diving champion. He won the British Diving Championship in 1932 and represented Ireland at the 1948 Olympic Games.
Early life
Eddie Heron was born in the ...
*
Ger Doyle
Ger Doyle (died 29 May 2020) was an Irish former national swimming coach from Wexford, County Wexford.
Doyle was coach of the Irish Olympic team at the 2000 and 2004 games. He managed New Ross swimming pool for more than two decades.
In 2010 ...
References
External links
*
Map of the swimming pool in Dublin
{{National Members of FINA
1998 establishments in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
Swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
Swimming in Ireland
Swimming organizations