In the swim: team completes first round-the-coast expedition

AN expedition to rival any in Irish history ended in Donegal yesterday when six swimmers completed the first ever round-the-coast swim.

Henry O’Donnell led the team and its support crew on to the blue flag beach at Carrickfinn, returning to the same spot they left 56 days and five hours before.

Since then they battled high seas, changing tides, exhaustion, sun burn, wind burn and hyperthermia (the opposite of hypothermia) to become the first relay team of swimmers to circumnavigate the country.