A Salthill swimmer whose dedication to the sea has seen him become almost part of the furniture at Blackrock Diving Tower was inducted into the Irish Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame at the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association’s annual awards night recently.

Paddy McNamara is a former member of the Irish Defence Forces – and an ever present at Blackrock Diving Tower and Salthill.

There, he encourages and motivates all comers to enjoy the challenges of open water swimming – guiding several all to way to take on some of the world’s toughest marathon swims.

For over 30 years and through many roles Paddy has supported and developed open water swimming in Connacht. Modest about his contribution to sport, he has contributed substantially to the growth in the number of swimmers and their success in marathon swims in Galway and further afield.

A host of local swimmers were honourued at these 16th Annual Awards held at the Carrickdale Hotel and Spa recently, with over 150 international and Irish guests in attendance.

Corrib Water Polo swimming club were awarded the Best Organised Event for the Corrib Summer Sea Series which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024.

The event started out as a summer series for those who were used to competing in pool events during the winter.

It has grown year on year and now has over 220 swimmers in the league with 140 swimmers on the start line every week at Blackrock Diving Tower.

This is a key event in the Connacht open water calendar and acts as a pathway for many swimmers to longer distance events. John Ryan was on hand representing sponsors Base2Race presenting the award to Paddy NcNamara and Ronan Oliver.

Galway swimmer Dee Newell was a worthy winner of the Sheena Patterson Award.

Whilst Dee has impressive swim CV having just returned from completing the False Bay swim in South Africa, she also has an infectious energy about long distance open water swimming.

She’s inclusive, supportive and a great role model for the sport. She has taken so many new swimmers under her wings she must have the wingspan of an albatross.

Dee has coached, mentored and steered many individuals to achieve things that they themselves never thought possible.

She is an advocate for safety in the sport and has a wealth of experience to share. She rarely has to be asked, but she always says yes to helping others.

The Margaret Smith award went to Annette Cullen who up till a few weeks ago called Galway her home.

Living in Kinvara for the last few years Annette has become recognised as a go-to person for marathon swimming advice and in particular for swimmers looking to swim in and around Galway Bay.

With the ability to see the potential in others she has coached, mentored, crewed, observed, organised and supported many swimmers to achieve things they themselves may not have thought possible.

Ciaran and Ronan Oliver from Galway Swim Pilot were in attendance as sponsors for the presentation of medals and certificates to swimmers who completed a Galway Bay Swim in 2024.

The Galway Bay swim is a part of the Irish Triple Crown of swims which also includes the Fastnet Swim (21.5km) and the North Channel (35km). In 2024 there were 17 one-way solos completed, three solo two ways completed, the first ever two-way relay by an female team which included local swimmer Oonagh Morrissey who stepped into the team at the eleventh hour when a team member pulled out the evening before the swim.

The Atlantic Ocean has become a popular swimming location for both national and international swimmers with many pioneering routes being added each year.

In 2023 Helen Colfer from Kinvara completed a 17.5km swim from Salthill to Kinvara piloted by George Curley NS in the 2024 swim season Dave Berry from Dublin did a 12km swim along the iconic Cliffs of Moher and Fergal Sommerville from Dublin completed a 34km circumnavigation of Inis Mor raising over 12k for the Aran Lifeboat.

Pictured: Hall of Fame inductee Paddy McNamara with Dee Newell and the Sheena Patterson Award at the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association’s annual awards.