South Lake Masters

🏊‍♀️☀️ Another successful South Lake Masters trip to Mallorca! 🇪🇸

What a fantastic week away with our amazing members! From swimming in the beautiful outdoor 50-metre pool under the Mallorcan sunshine ☀️ to plenty of laughs, fun and great company, it was another trip to remember.

It’s safe to say we came home with happy members, great memories and plenty of smiles all round! 🧡💙

A huge thank you to everyone who made the trip so special. We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🏊‍♂️🌴

🏊‍♂️🏆 British Transplant Games! 🏆🏊‍♂️

A huge congratulations to South Lake Masters members Gregory Walsh and Turlough O’Hagan, who have both had an outstanding day in the pool! 👏👏👏

🥇 Turlough O’Hagan — 3 Golds 🥇🥇🥇 + 1 Silver 🥈
🥇 Gregory Walsh — 2 Golds 🥇🥇 + 1 Silver 🥈

What an incredible achievement from both of you! 💪🏊‍♂️ Your hard work, determination and dedication have truly paid off.

Congratulations guys — South Lake Masters are so proud of you🧡💙

🌊 CROSS LOUGH SWIM — THEY DID IT! 🌊

The Brown Shoes Triathlon Club successfully completed their Cross Lough Charity Swim, crossing from Grey Point to Carrickfergus Castle after weather postponements👏🏼

A huge well done to the swimmers, support crew and boat crew and a special shout out to our South Lake Masters member Donal, aka “Dolphin Donal” 🐬, who swam the full distance as a support swimmer🎉

The swim was organised by Brown Shoes Triathlon Club to raise vital funds in support of Air Ambulance NI and Belfast Lough Sailability. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported us. Every penny makes a difference! 🙏

🧡💙 Donations are still very welcome:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bstc-cross-the-lough-charity-swim?utm_medium=CF&utm_source=CL

☀️ Summer is well underway, and what a jam-packed few opening weeks it's been for South Lake Masters! 🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♂️🧡💙

From open water racing, masters galas to our famous club hats travelling the world with our members have certainly been keeping busy!

In no particular order...

🏅 Our longest-serving members, Turlough and John Irwin, competed at Day 2 of the Masters Gala at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin, alongside Fiona and Fergus for their debut. Between the four of them, they brought home an incredible collection of gold medals in their events and age categories, along with Ulster records. A fantastic achievement and a testament to their dedication⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌊 Congratulations to Ruth, who claimed 3rd place in her open water race at Camlough Lake, proving once again that our Lane 1 swimmers are in a league of their own!

🛟 Another huge congratulations to John Irwin, who is featured on the cover of the RNLI Lifeboat magazine in recognition of his role as a Beach Lifeguard. We are incredibly proud to have such a dedicated volunteer representing both the RNLI and South Lake Masters. Well deserved, John! 👏🌊

👏 A special mention also goes to our members Steven and Lois Craig, whose son Jamie Craig, swimming for Lurgan Junior Swimming Club, finished 1st Male Junior at the Lord & Lady of Camlough Lake event. Watch this space—he's only getting started, and what an incredible start he's made!

🧢✈️ And, of course... our South Lake Masters hats have been clocking up the air miles!

So far they've been spotted in:
🇫🇷 France
🇬🇧 Canary Wharf
🇪🇸 Sarria
🇬🇧 East Wittering
🇮🇹 Sicily
🇹🇷 Marmaris

..and wait for it...

🇺🇸 Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi 🌺🏄

Our hat even paid a visit to the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, one of the greatest watermen in history—a fitting stop for our beloved club hat, honouring a man whose legacy spans both the pool and the ocean.

There's certainly plenty of Aloha Spirit in our Masters club. ❤️🌺

Here's to many more races, personal bests, adventures, and hats on tour throughout the rest of the summer. Keep flying the South Lake Masters flag wherever you go! 🧡💙🌍

A massive Happy Friday to the fantastic South Lake Masters crew competing today at the Irish Masters Long Course International Open Meet (50m) in the stunning National Aquatic Centre, Dublin💪🏼🏊🏊🏼‍♀️

As you can see, they’re being weighed down by all that bling🥇The team delivered an incredible performance, collecting medals, smashing personal bests, and wearing plenty of smiles along the way.

To top it all off, John and Fiona both came home with new Ulster records. What a fantastic achievement by everyone involved—congratulations, team🧡💙👏

A huge congratulations to South Lake Masters Swimming Club member Gregory Walsh on his fantastic performances at the European Transplant Games, where he proudly represented Transplant Sport Northern Ireland👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Gregory not only competed at this prestigious event but also achieved outstanding podium finishes, claiming 🥉 Bronze in the 100m Freestyle and 🥇 Gold in the 50m Backstroke’

These remarkable results are a testament to Gregory’s dedication, determination, and hard work both in and out of the pool. We are incredibly proud to have him as part of the South Lake Masters family🧡💙

Well done, Gregory you are amazing💪🏼

BronzeMedal

No better way to end another successful season at South Lake Masters Swimmer Club than a trip to Camlough for a swim in the sunshine☀️🏊🏼🏊🏼‍♀️

Sunday mornings don’t get much better than this! 🌊🏊‍♂️🏊‍♀️

A fantastic turnout from South Lake Masters Swimming Club at Swim Ulster’s Big Bay Swim in Donaghadee, with our swimmers taking on the 750m, 1500m and 3000m distances in the chilly open waters.

What we love most about events like these is seeing our experienced swimmers return year after year, welcoming newcomers who are stepping up to a new challenge, and everyone else who pushes themselves outside their comfort zone. That’s what our club is all about🧡💙

Safe to say we’re better together – the support, encouragement and camaraderie shown on the shore and in the water make days like this so special.

To top it all off, there were medals and podium finishes for some of our swimmers – a brilliant reward for all the hard work and dedication put in throughout the season. 🏅👏

Well done to every South Lake swimmer who took part. We couldn’t be prouder🎉

Testing the waters at Donaghadee! 🌊

With the Swim Ulster Big Bay Swim taking place next weekend, some of our members headed to Donaghadee for an afternoon training session to get familiar with the course and conditions.

We had everything on display today — wetsuits, skins, gloves, bare hands… there was a bit of everything! 🏊‍♂️❄️ One thing everyone could agree on was the importance of having plenty of hot water waiting afterwards, because that water was definitely on the chilly side.

The preparation has been done, confidence is building, and we’re looking forward to next weekend’s event. Most importantly, just look at the smiles — despite the cold and rain, a fantastic day was had by all🧡💙

Good luck to everyone taking part in the Big Bay Swim. SLM are ready! 💪🌊