TWO BROTHERS yesterday participated in the historic Lee Swim in Cork in memory of their late father, a former councillor and trade union official who is best remembered for having taught children from poorer parts of the city to swim.
Tadhg Philpott, who died in February aged 87, served as a Labour Party councillor in Cork city from 1967-1974. He was a trade union official with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union and Siptu.
A keen sportsman, he and his son Ger made swimming history when they each won a gold medal in separate events at the 1987 World Masters Games in Rome. In his free time Mr Philpott voluntarily taught hundreds of children to swim.
On Saturday afternoon, Ger Philpott and his brother Pat took part in the 2,000m Lee Swim in memory of their father and their mother Mary, who died in November 2010. Ger Philpott said it was an emotional experience to take part in the swim which ran through the centre of Cork city. His father had participated in the swim on numerous occasions.
“Our brother Ted turned up at the last minute from Qatar to surprise us. Ted was the one who convinced me to do it so he felt he had to be there himself,” Mr Philpott said.
“We grew up in swimming pools as both our parents were heavily involved in swimming. Dad saved a number of people from drowning in the river Lee and he did a lot of voluntary work where he taught people to swim. It was a bittersweet day tinged with emotion.”
The Tadgh Philpott Memorial Trophy was presented to Mallow Swimming Club. Ger Philpott noted that the Mallow win was particularly poignant as his father was a member of the local golf club and had family ties to the area.
Mr Philpott is a researcher on Joe Duffy’s radio show. He is making a radio documentary entitled Three Rivers: One Summer, which will recount his experiences of the 2.6km Great Hudson River Swim in May, the Lee Swim and the 1.8km Liffey River Swim which is in September.
He is participating in the three races to commemorate his father and his mother, who kept the family in “dry towels” all through their swimming years.
Meanwhile, race sponsor Joan Lucey from Vibes and Scribes bookstore in Cork said she was heartened by the response to the race. She admitted it was a “bit surreal” to swim past her own shop, adding that it was a “great adrenalin rush” to look at the city buildings from the river Lee.
The swim received 281 entries from teenagers through to pensioners. It is an annual charity event run by Cork Masters Swimming Club and Cork Lions Club. The swim was a major event in the sporting calendar during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
However, due to deteriorating water quality in the Lee, the event was moved to Monkstown in the 1950s. Following the commissioning of the Cork main drainage scheme in 2003, there was a marked and sustained improvement in water quality.
Consequently, as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations, the historic Lee Swim was relaunched two years later. Before the 2005 relaunch, the last Lee Swim was in 1987.