Swimming the dream: Owen navigates Cork river

Tired but triumphant, a Cork student fulfilled his childhood ambition by swimming the River Blackwater River in Co Cork from Fermoy to Youghal non-stop yesterday.

Owen O’Keefe, 20, from Fermoy, was met by rapturous applause from family members, friends, and local wellwishers as he came ashore at Nealon’s Quay near Youghal town centre shortly after 7pm.

Shivering in black trunks and a yellow swim cap, the young man declared himself “absolutely exhausted” as, smiling broadly, he accepted hugs and handshakes from his admiring audience.