This week, Daragh Morgan became the first person to swim around Ireland — a staggering 1,468km. Setting off from Galway on May 31, the 27-year-old spent the last five months swimming clockwise along the coast. In total, he spent 338 hours in the water, thereby covering an average of about 4.3kph.
Morgan has been planning his so-called Swim Éire for six years. From the start, the plan was ambitious: a tidal-assisted, staged swim around the island. He would use the periods when the currents and tides were favorable to cover as much distance as possible. He aimed to swim for about six hours a day. If conditions were good, he continued even longer. Now and then, he even swam at night.
His daily distance depended largely on conditions. Typically, he covered 15km a day, but some days were less than 10km, and one day he did 36km.
A one-man support crew
In all, he took 99 separate swims over 93 days in the water. Throughout, he had a one-man support crew named Dara Bailey. A seventh-generation fishermen, Bailey captained a traditional 13m Galway Hooker that was by Morgan’s side at all times.
“A wizard of the sea…I will be forever grateful for this man,” said Morgan. “Without Dara, none of this would have been possible.”
Morgan battled cold Atlantic waters, stinging jellyfish by the hundreds, salt sores under his arms from the many hours in the water, fatigue, and significant weight loss. However, none of these was the hardest part of the journey. His ultimate enemy was the weather, the control it had over his swim, and the many days it forced him to stay out of the water. He was weatherbound for close to two months out of the five.
The logistics were complex. His support boat was responsible for navigation, safety, and working with the tides, wind, and ever-changing sea state. Small good weather windows put pressure on him to swim as far as possible, since the bad weather often lasted for days at a time.
Morgan admitted to struggling with these enforced layovers. The constant stopping and starting was difficult. Even though he knew it helped him recover physically, he often felt more fatigued after a few days out of the water.
The route. Image: Zero Six Zero
The beauty and the madness
Despite the difficulties, Morgan loved the experience. “[This] is my way of showing what Ireland means to me,” he said. “The beauty of it. The madness of it. The sea, the land, the weather…all of it. I’ve been shaped by this place, and this journey is my way of honoring that.”
The swim was not just about setting a record but about sharing his passion and love for Ireland, while promoting ocean conservation and various charities.
Hitting certain milestones was a huge boost. On July 5, he reached the northernmost point of his swim. A few weeks later, in August, he reached his halfway point. On October 8, he became the first person to swim the length of Ireland from Malin to Mizen Head. All these moments spurred him on.
Other moments of joy came from meeting people along the way who showed support and shared stories of Ireland. And he enjoyed spotting marine life around him as he swam.
Once, as he swam near Aran Island at the start of his swim, he said, “It was beautiful. I was in really deep water, and there were dolphins underneath me. Then I swam into this passage, and the water got a lot shallower. I could see all the seagrass and different things; it was almost like I was snorkeling. I turned my head up, and there was gorse burning in a field. It was just a huge, sensory, immersive experience, and it was the first step of the whole journey.”
