Christmas dips: Making a splash at festive swims around the country

Dippers up and down the country plan to dive into icy waters on Christmas Day to raise funds for a worthy cause. Some are swimming in memory of a family member who has passed away

Nikki McCarthy who organises the Christmas Day swim at Dundag Bay on Muckross Lake Killarney in aid of Aware. The annual swim which started in 2009 takes place from 11am with access through Muckross House main gate down to the lake. Photo: Don MacMonagle

YELPS and squeals will be heard all across Ireland this Christmas morning. It won’t just be excited children exclaiming at what they find under the tree but the shocked gasps of grown-ups reacting to the cold as they charge into our rivers, lakes and seas.

As wild swimming has become increasingly popular, so too have Christmas Day swims in aid of charity. From Donegal to Dingle and from Galway’s Blackrock Tower to Dublin’s Forty Foot, thousands take part in them, raising money for good causes as they do so.

Waterford’s Kilmurrin Cove in Kill plays host to the Michael Power Christmas Day Memorial Swim, which has donated over €600,000 to charity since it started in 1983.

“My brother Michael and some of his friends decided that year that they would swim in Kilmurrin Cove right through the winter up until Christmas Day,” says Tom Power. “I joined them, and we made £600, which we gave to the Waterford Asthmatic Society.”

They were even more organised the following year, printing sponsorship cards and fundraising for weeks in advance. “Then on December 17, Michael died suddenly,” says Power. “We were shocked but decided to go ahead and name the swim after him. It’s gone from strength to strength since then.”

Every year, they raise money for an important charity in the community. “This year, it’s ACT for Meningitis in honour of a local girl who died from meningitis,” says Power.

Pictured is Tom Power and Johnny Walsh at Kilmurrin Cove, Co. Waterford. Tom Power set up the Michael Power Christmas Day Memorial Swim in aid of his brother who passed away. Johnny Walsh was on the original committee. Photograph: Patrick Browne

The atmosphere at the cove on Christmas morning is electric. “At 12 o’clock, 300 or so swimmers line up and it’s like the charge of the light brigade into the water,” says Power. “It’s so different to taking a dip on your own — you feel like it’s match day, full of adrenaline and up for anything.”

That’s not to say that the swimmers don’t feel the cold — the water temperature hovers around a bone-freezing 10 degrees in December.

“I was so cold when I came out one Christmas morning that when I was handed a hot toddy, my hand shook so much that there was nothing left in the glass by the time it reached my mouth,” says Power, laughing. “But I still felt great. I certainly felt like I’d earned my dinner.”

Now aged 77, Power doesn’t swim in cold water anymore. “I’ve had a heart attack, which means I feel the cold more than I used to,” he says. “I only swim in the summer but my sons and grandchildren continue the tradition. So does John Walsh, one of our original committee members, who hasn’t missed a swim in all the years since we started.”

Power does his bit by cheering the swimmers on from the beach. “I have to be involved in some way,” he says. “Kilmurrin Cove is such a brilliant place to be on Christmas morning.”

The swim has been cancelled twice in its forty-year history. “One year, there was a hurricane, so we had it the day after,” says Power. “And, of course, we couldn’t gather during covid. Individuals still went swimming on their own though. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a morning swim.”

With hindsight, Power thinks covid may have encouraged more people to try sea swimming. “People used to only swim during the summer but since the pandemic, more are swimming all year round,” he says. “They’ve understood its benefits.”

Tom Power set up the Michael Power Christmas Day Memorial Swim in aid of his brother who passed away. Tom is holding a photograph taken at the 1st Christmas Day swim in 1983 at Kilmurrin cove. Photograph: Patrick Browne

Exhilarating dip

Niki McCarthy swims throughout the winter and organises the Christmas morning swim at Dundag Lake in Killarney.

“My sister took her own life at the age of 26 after a long battle with depression,” says McCarthy. “In 2009, I started the swim in her memory and am delighted that we now raise €4,500 or so for Aware every year.”

Honouring her sister wasn’t McCarthy’s only motivation. “My two sons were small, and I wanted them to think of Christmas not just as a day of indulgence but as a day of connecting with and helping others,” she says.

Since that first year, McCarthy and her family set up a gazebo by the lake on Christmas morning. “We bring down flasks of hot drinks, biscuits and chocolates and people start arriving around 10.30am,” she says. “There’s lots of chatter as different family and friend groups show up, with many of the same faces returning year after year.”

There were 25 swimmers in 2009. “Now, we get 150 swimmers and another 150 or so cheering them on,” she says. “We all line up at 11am sharp and count down from 10 before running into the water together. All you can hear is people screaming because the water is so cold, much colder than the sea, usually about seven degrees. Nobody stays in for too long. Most just run in and then run back out again.”

Their bodies may be numb with cold when they get out, but their mood is exhilarated. “It’s such a buzz no matter what the weather is like,” says McCarthy. “We’ve done it in the wind and the rain. We’ve even done it when it was so cold that the water at the lake’s edge was frozen. That was 2010, a perfect winter’s day with calm and frosty conditions. It actually felt warmer in the water than it did out of it.”

Nikki McCarthy who organises the Christmas Day swim at Dundag Bay on Muckross Lake Killarney in aid of Aware. The annual swim which started in 2009 takes place from 11am with access through Muckross House main gate down to the lake. Photo: Don MacMonagle

The Lahinch Christmas Day Swim is a family affair for Cliodhna Fawl. “My father John and his friend PJ Crotty started it in 1989 and all of us kids have swum in it since we were small,” she says.

Fawl is proud of how the swim has grown to be one of the biggest in the country. “We have more than a thousand swimmers and just as many onlookers,” she says. “There are traffic jams on the way to the beach on Christmas morning.”

She has lots of fond memories of swims over the years. “The atmosphere is always something else,” she says. “We have music and a countdown to 12.15pm, at which time there’s a mad rush as everyone runs into the water. We’ve done it in snow and ice. We’ve done it wearing Santa hats. Every year is different but one thing is always the same - you meet up with so many people who are delighted to take part in what is a big Christmas tradition for the people of Lahinch.”

Each year’s swim is in aid of a Clare-based charity. “We usually raise over €5,000 on the day,” says Fawl. “This year, our proceeds will go to Cuan an Chláir Alzheimer’s Day Centre in Ennis.”

Take the plunge

If the enthusiasm of Power, McCarthy and Fawl has convinced you to take the cold water plunge this Christmas, these seasoned swimmers have some advice for you.

• “Wear clothes that are easy to take off and put back on again,” says McCarthy.
• “Booties on your feet make a big difference,” says Fawl.
• “Don’t stay in the water too long,” says Power.
• “People can egg each other on to stay in the water for longer and longer. This can easily backfire. You should only stay in the water for a minute or two before getting back out again.”
• Warm up quickly once you do, says Fawl. “The air temperature is often colder than the water and you really feel it when you’re wet. So don’t hang around. Dry yourself off and put on warm clothes. A hot water bottle can be nice, and a hot drink helps too.”
• Most of all, enjoy it. “We missed gathering for the Christmas swim during covid,” says McCarthy. “It felt extra special when we could all do it together again. There’s something so unique about sharing this experience together.”

Reasons why cold water swimming is good for you

Swimming in cold water has many health benefits - physical and mental. 

A University of Limerick study published in the Irish Medical Journal this October suggests that it is, noting that swimmers show significant improvement in overall mood and physical wellbeing.

The participants in the study were found to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and enhanced immunity, which meant they were less susceptible to colds and flu, and had better mood.

A 2021 Swedish study supports these findings. It showed that cold water swimming led to better metabolism.

A 2016 study from Poland demonstrated that swimming in cold water for a season helped middle-aged women balance their blood sugars by raising their sensitivity to insulin.

These studies suggest that cold water swimming could help combat obesity and type 2 diabetes.

It has psychological benefits too. Research conducted in England in 2020 found that those who swam in cold water experienced a ten-fold increase in mood compared to a control group who watched from the shore, which could be due to the release of endorphins and dopamine caused by exposure to the cold.

You don’t need to be an avid swimmer to experience these benefits. Some participants in the University of Limerick study were only in cold water for 25 seconds.

Cold water can shock the system, and hypothermia can set in within minutes, leaving you too weak to climb out of the water. So, never go swimming alone and slowly build up your tolerance to the cold over time.

Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin TD pictured taking part in the New Years Day swim for the RNLI on Courtmacsherry Beach, co. Cork. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision

‘A great way to clear the head and start the new year feeling invigorated’, says Tánaiste on Courtmac swim

Tánaiste Mícheál Martin doesn’t go swimming on Christmas Day. Instead, he waits until New Year’s Day before plunging into the ocean at Courtmacsherry Beach in aid of the RNLI.

“I’ve been doing it for 20 years or more,” he says. “It’s a great way to clear the head and start the new year feeling invigorated after what has usually been a late night the night before.”

The Tánaiste does the charity swim with friends. “A few of us have made it a yearly tradition,” he says. “We meet for the swim, warm up with a shower afterwards and then head out for a long walk before ending up at Mary O’Neill’s bar in Butlerstown. It’s a day for us to catch up.”

He’s a fan of sea swimming in general. “I do it as much as I can in the summer and would do it more often were it not for my job,” he says.

“On New Year’s Day, I run in, put my head under and swim around for two or three minutes before I start feeling too cold. Being in the water gets me out of my head for a while.”

Doing the swim in aid of the RNLI makes it extra special. “The lifeboat is so important to the people of this area — it’s interwoven with the life of the community,” he says.

He’s looking forward to this year’s swim. “There’s always a great atmosphere on the beach as 100 people or so prepare to run into the water, cheered on by all the spectators. You feel exhilarated coming out and set up for the day and the year ahead.”