This Saturday, 12th September, the Dublin City Council sponsored Liffey Swim celebrates its 90th anniversary with 234 men and 96 women taking the plunge, having completed 4 qualifying races on the 2009 Swim Leinster Calendar.
Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Emer Costello will fire the starting gun for the men’s race at 16.00hrs and the women’s race at 17.00hrs.
The 2.2 kilometre swim begins at Rory O’More Bridge, Watling Street and finishes at the Custom House. 

The Swim is open to competitors of all ages, abilities and nationalities, with teenagers competing against 70 year olds and club swimmers from all over the country pitting their strengths against international swim champions.
This year the youngest swimmer is Lucy Dowling, age 12 while the oldest is Ron Hardie, age 69. Three generations of the Pickering family, John, Sharon and Hayley will also take part. Electronic timing will be used for the first time this year allowing for the instantaneous placement of the competitors as they pass the finishing line.

According to the Lord Mayor, 

“The Liffey Swim is a Dublin City institution and the growing number of competitors from abroad attests to the competition’s legendary international status,”

“It’s a gruelling race but a great day out for competitors and spectators alike and I encourage everybody in Dublin on Saturday afternoon to follow the race along the quays and cheer on the swimmers.”

“Dublin City Council is proud to sponsor the Liffey Swim as it showcases the extensive infrastructures that we have implemented in recent years along the Liffey, including new bridges that are improving linkages between both sides of the river and the Boardwalk along the river”

“I also commend Swim Ireland, Leinster Region Open Sea Committee who continue to work very closely with the City Council in successfully delivering this very unique event, year after year.”

The Lord Mayor will present the winners with their prizes and each will receive a much coveted print of the famous 1923 Jack B. Yeats painting of the race, at a reception afterwards in the Gresham Hotel, O’Connell Street at 20.00hrs.

ENDS.

Notes to the editor

History of the Liffey Swim

J.J Kennedy won the first Liffey Swim race on the 22nd July 1920 in which 27 male contestants took part. The idea to organise the race was the brainchild of Bernard Fagan, Dublin Corporation's Water Analyst, and Dublin Corporation/City Council has supported it ever since, sponsoring it for the past number of years.

One of the earliest Liffey Swims was immortalised in the Jack B. Yeats 1923 painting ‘The Liffey Swim’, which was to win him a silver medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics competition for artistic endeavour. In 1991 the first ladies race was introduced. The race is run over a 2.2 kilometre course from Watling Street Bridge (Guinness Brewery) finishing in front of the Custom House.

This Year’s Race: 

• The men’s race will start at 16.00hrs and the ladies at 17.00hrs
• The race winners each receive a much coveted print of the famous Jack B Yeats painting of the race
• The race is a family orientated event, with 3 generations of 1 family swimming. (John, Sharon and Hayley Pickering). There are also several examples of 3 family members competing
• Families with a number of entrants; Brothers (George & Gerry Dunne), (Brian & Greg O'Dwyer) (Ciaran & Brian  Balfe) (Sean & Harry Lawlor) Father & Sons (Frank & Adam Carroll) (Pat & Daire O'Driscoll) Brother & Sister (Luke & Lucy Dowling) Sisters & Brother  (Niamh,  Michelle and Mark Dunne) Father & Daughter (Deirdre & Paul Kearney) Mother & Daughter (Joan & Sinead Delaney
• Youngest male Harry Lawlor (13) Youngest female Lucy Dowling (12), oldest male, Ron Hardie (69)
•  International competitors: USA, Australia, Spain, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the UK. Michael Toner and Christopher O'Connell are travelling from California for the race. Chris is particularly looking forward to swimming under O'Connell Bridge
• The most capped Liffey swimmer, Derek 'Bimbo' Wilkes will be swimming his 40th race, he competed for the first time in 1969 aged 15
• The race includes a number of swimmers who have completed the gruelling English Channel swim such as Lisa Howley, Ann McAdam and Eoin Gaffney, Julie-Anne Galloway
• The Honorary Handicapper, Joe Browne is handicapping his last race after 24 years this year so it promises to be a special say for Joe
• There are also a number of previous winners competing (Paul Byrne, Greg O’Dwyer, Frank Carroll, Robbie Clarke, Dan Smyth, Derek Wilkes, Molly Molloy and Sandra Trappe)
• It is expected 234 men and 96 women will compete
• As the Liffey swim is a handicapped race, favourites for this race are notoriously hard to predict and very much depend on conditions on the day, such as weather and the flow of the river
• Swimmers to look out for on the day are veterans such as Stevie Doyle, (handicap 3mins, 40 secs) Sandycove Club and William McKeon, Glenalbyn Masters Club, in the men’s race
• Brenda Horgan, Aer Lingus Club (handicap 2mins, 50 secs) and Ann Marie Kenrick, Phoenix Club (handicap 2 mins, 10 secs) look best placed in the ladies event
• With it all to do are the “scratch” swimmers, Sinead Tyrrell, Garda Club (handicap 9 mins) and Rachel Lee, Guinness Club (handicap 9 mins) in the ladies race and Shane Drumm, Aer Lingus Club (8 mins) in the men’s race, who by being seeded fastest will have to pass all the swimmers who start before them if they are to win the race. They will wear a unique red hat so they can be spotted as they progress through the field
• The Liffey Swim will use electronic timing for the first time this year and this should add to the spectacle at the finish

Many City Council officials taking part including: 

• Shane Drumm, Aer Lingus Club (handicap 8 mins)
• Greg O’Dwyer, Guinness Club (Handicap 5 mins 20 secs)
• Brian McLoughlin, Half Moon Club (handicap 5 mins)
• Rachel Lee, Guinness Club (handicap 9 mins)
• Liz McCarthy, Tallaght Masters (handicap 7 mins, 20secs)
• Jenny Hickey, NAC Masters (handicap 2 mins, 20 secs)
• Anne-Marie Burke, Dublin Club (handicap 30secs)
• Mairead Cashman,Dublin Club