Six Dublin men enter the Guinness Book of Records after a marathon relay swim across the Irish Sea.
Mike Kelly, Felim O'Maoliin, Dave Kilimartin, Gerry Carroll, Shay Dillon and Leslie Nolan have established a new record by swimming across the Irish Sea for the first time.
The swimmers were at Dun Laoghaire pier where they were met by the press and posed for photographs. They arrived at Dalkey Harbour at 4.00 am this morning having completed the 30 hour Stena Sealink Irish Sea Challenge from Holyhead to Dublin. The relay swim was divided into legs with each man doing one hour in every six while the others travelled in a boat alongside. This was their third attempt at the 60 mile swim. According to Feilim O'Maolain, previous attempts were thwarted by poor weather conditions and rough seas.
This time, all the conditions came together.
The swim was sponsored by Stena Sealink, who provided the support craft and covered accommodation and training costs. Eamonn Hewitt, Stena Sealink, is delighted that the men have completed the challenging task.
The swim has raised around £250,000 for RESPECT, a service run by The Daughters of Charity. Joe Fallon, outlines plans to spend the money on the construction of new modern buildings appropriate to the needs of the disabled.
Mike Kelly says that the six men have established a new record which will be in the Guinness Book of Records.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 August 1993. The reporter is Cathy Milner.
