THE COLD weather snap thwarted attempts by a Galway charity to set a new world record for communal Christmas swimming.
However, the 350 hardy souls who stripped down for the Cope Galway annual Christmas morning dip in the Atlantic may have set some sort of record for sheer lunacy.
The 20th annual charity fund-raiser aimed to attract over 1,000 bathers this year, beating last year’s total of over 900 registered participants at Blackrock, Salthill, Galway.
However, sub-zero air temperatures and icy roads, along with a mixture of rain and sleet, made travelling conditions very difficult, and that was just on land.
“It would have been easier to have swum here – if I was a penguin,” one participant told this reporter, as both of us gasped in water temperatures estimated at three to four degrees for all of several minutes.
Wet suits were permitted, given the weather conditions and the risk of cold shock and hypothermia, but few took that option.
Music, hot punch, teas and coffee were provided to comfort the intrepid swimmers.
The Cope Galway swim is the charity’s largest fund-raiser, earning some €40,000 last year. The funds are used directly to provide services for homeless people, women and children who experience domestic violence, and to support older people living in Galway.
Back-up for the event was provided by the Garda, Civil Defence, RNLI, Galway Kayak Club, and kitesurfers – with a late guest visit also by one Mr Claus, and several dozen lookalikes.
Several sporting events scheduled for St Stephen’s Day had to be cancelled in Galway city and county due to the weather, including the annual “turkey walk” at Athenry – which is rescheduled for January 3rd.