Irish swimming closed out 2025 in style, with Daniel Wiffen, Ellen Walshe, and John Shortt claiming European Short Course titles in Lublin, Poland earlier this month.
The final event of the calendar wrapped up last Sunday at the National Aquatics Centre, where Walshe and Shortt competed in the Winter Championships - a homecoming of sorts for both.
Shortt dominated with four titles, despite what he described as a having "a few off events", while Walshe added two more, capping a remarkable year for the pair.
Reflecting on her season, Walshe admitted it wasn't all smooth sailing: "I had a great year and it's definitely had ups and downs, but a lot of ups and I'm looking forward to 2026," Walshe reflected on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with David McCullagh.
For Shortt, still only 18, 2025 was a breakthrough year. His achievements are still sinking in.
"A week or two later, still trying to really grasp that I'm the fastest junior ever in the short course back, I think it was all part of an amazing week for the team and I'm just glad I could contribute in that way," Shortt commented.
The Galway native made headlines in August, winning two golds at the World Junior Championships, plus a bronze in the 50m backstroke - an impressive haul for Ireland's sole competitor.
Shortt revealed that only two years ago he began taking swimming seriously, even making a bold solo move to Limerick in fifth year to train with the national squad.
"I think everybody kind of has a similar enough story where, they start lessons very young and then I moved through to lane swimming and then I eventually joined a club because one of my friends is in it.
"I'm kind of only really coming into the kind of big competitions now... I'd made a few teams that summer of 2023. And then it gave me a bit of a spark of confidence.
On moving to Limerick he added: "Bit Mad, I'm not really conventional, but I think it was important for me to do that because, I think I'd kind of, not outgrown the club, but I definitely needed a switch up and Limerick provided that nicely.
"It took a while to get used to, you know, especially because I'd never really been away from home that often before that... Big change for my parents as well to not have me around all the time.
Walshe described long days at the pool with two sessions and gym time in between as the norm for most swimmers, Shortt explained it leaves little time for studying which was a concern for his parents.
The 18-year-old received his Leaving Cert results while he was competing in those World Junior Championships in August and explained his positive results
"It does not (leave a lot of time). I learnt that pretty quickly. I just did what I could... It ended up being OK in the end.
"They had to put a lot of trust in me because they couldn't see what I was doing. I was able to put their mind at ease when I finished my Leaving Cert."
Shortt did enough to stay in his set-up with Swim Ireland in Limerick and is studying at UL.
Financial pressures remain a reality for swimmers.
With two Irish athletes opting for next year's controversial Enhanced Games citing money concerns, Walshe admitted making a living from the sport is tough.
Revealing she takes on shifts at her local pool to support herself , alongside the €25,000 funding she receives from Sport Ireland she has a new avenue of funding this year from private sponsors.
"I think this year I've been very fortunate enough to get a sponsor or two, which have helped. It's my first year kind of experiencing that kind of extra financial fund. But yeah, it's not easy.
"I work in the pool I train in once or twice a week to also try and make some money. It's definitely not an easy graft, but I don't know how long I'll ever be able to kind of compete at this level."
Walshe already has two Olympics under her belt and may be looking to add a third when she peaks for LA in 2028.
For the young Shortt the Games in Los Angeles will be his first crack on the Olympic stage but he explained there are several hurdles he wants to overcome before then.
"It's always in the back of my mind. It's always up on the wall... I think I would agree that we have... A lot of smaller goals in between that we'd like to accomplish. Yeah, well, there's steps on the way, I guess.
"We have got a European long course format in the start of August. That'll be our key meet for next year. So we'll be looking forward to that."
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