History was made at the weekend when Fergal Madden from Derrydonnell and Dee Newell from Corrandulla became just the second and third Galwegians to ever swim the English Channel solo. Both are members of the Atlantic Masters Swimming Club and they join an elite group that also includes Alice Flood, to have swum the channel.
Fergal started just before midnight on Friday night from just outside Dover in the UK and touched land on French soil in Normandy 16 hours and 46 minutes later on Saturday afternoon. Fergal's dad Tommy was a renowned athlete and member of the famed Derrydonnell Athletics Club.
Dee, who is a member of the Irish Defence Forces, started out late on Saturday night and completed her Channel crossing in 14 hours and 54 minutes when she landed in Wissant, France. So far this year, just four Irish people have swum the English Channel solo, and two of them are from Galway!
Picture: Fergal Madden, Alice Flood and Dee Newell, the 3 Galwegians to have swum the English Channel.
