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Fergal Somerville
Fergal Somerville (born 1963) is an open water swimmer and an observer from Dublin, Ireland.
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Open Water Swimming Highlights
- He is certified as an IISA Official Observer L1 as of 1 March 2022.
- He serves as an International Ice Swimming Association official.
- He has completed 2 of the Oceans Seven's channels.
- The member of the Eastern Bay Swim Team in Dublin, he swims year round at High Rock in Malahide (Dublin).
- He recorded the first Inis Meáin to Rosaveel swim along the Galway Coast.
- He pioneered the Dublin Bay 2-way swim in 2012.
- He received the 2016 Sheena Paterson Spirit of Open Water Swimming Award from the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association.
- He was recognized as an Honor Contributor – Administrator in the Class of 2020 of the Ice Swimming Hall of Fame.
- He is an Honor Swimmer in the Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland Class of 2020.
- He is a certified ice swimmer for completing 2 sanctioned Ice Miles under the auspices of the International Ice Swimming Association.
- He organized and completed the 4th Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim in Lough Dan Scout Centre, County Wicklow, south of Dublin, Ireland on 6 February 2016 in 26 minutes 44 seconds.
- He completed the English Channel on 24 September 2011 in 12 hours 40 minutes. His English Channel crossing was the 12th fastest time by an Irish swimmer, 6th fastest Irishman, and fastest over age of 40.
- He attempted a North Channel crossing in July 2012.
- He completed the North Channel during his second attempt on 16 June 2014 in 12 hours 21 minutes.
- As Ken McCarthy rowed, hee swam from Howth to Skerries, covering a distance of 25.66 km in 6 hours 12 minutes on 8 July 2016
- He was the safety chief and observer for Vanessa Daws' The Lambay Circumnavigation Swim in Ireland on 6 September 2016.
- He achieved the Original Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming with the following 3 channel crossings:
- On 23 September 2011, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel in 12 hours 21 minutes.
- On 16 June 2013, he completed a 35 km crossing of the North Channel in 12 hours 21 minutes.
- On 20 September 2022, he completed a 40 km crossing of the Bristol Channel in 12 hours 40 minutes, the third person in history to swim the longest course from Ilfracombe to Swansea across the Bristol Channel.
Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim
Howth to Skerries Swim Row 2
From Howth, Co. Dublin, to Skerries, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Global Open Water Swimming Conference
Somerville spoke at the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference, a conference hosted and organised by Oswald Schmidt, Paschal Horgan, Captain Tom McCarthy, Ciaran O'Connor, Finbarr Hedderman, and Ned Denison in Cork, Ireland. The other presenters include Professor Tom Doyle, Trevor Woods, Dr. Angel Yanagihara, Dr. Lunt & Dr. Adams, Kevin Murphy, Niek Kloots, Sally Minty-Gravett, and Wayne Soutter.
Swimming with Shivers
She wrote a story for Swimming With Shivers, a book co-authored by Claire Bunker-Fellingham and Gary Standen about true stories from, by and about open water swimmers doing cold water swimming, winter swimming, and ice swimming. The stories in Swimming with Shivers are from, by and about Carl Atkinson, Deborah Banks, Ram Barkai, Jo Barkwith, Andy Bennett, Katie Blair, Sylvia Bland, Gideon Bright, Claire Bunker-Fellingham, Judith Charman, Sze-Ming Cheung, Chillswim, Tracy Clark, David Coleman, Phil Coombe, Talbott Crowell, Ned Denison, Nick Dorey, Dryrobe, Ros Edmonds, Rory Fitzgerald, Daniel Gilmore, Will Glendinning, Gone Swimming, Rebecca Goodson, Julie Gregory, Shaun Hales, Happy Cold Swimming, Louise Hazelton, Colin Hill, Elaine Howley, International Ice Swimming Association, Roni Jelgavas, Mark Johansen, Jody Jones, Ele Jump, Ger Kennedy, Ivan Lewis, Julie Lloyd, Jules McRobbie, Sally Minty-Gravett MBE, Jaimie Monahan, Steven Munatones, Diane Murphy Weaver, Jim Nyberg, Barry O'Connor, Outdoor Swimmer, Simon Parkin, Lisa Peake, Kevin Proctor, Jane Saycet, Val Smith, Jodi Songhurst, Gary Standen, Lucy Stansfield, Kate Steels-Fryatt, Swimming With Smiles Book, Tidal Wave Fitness, Jonty Warneken, Karen Weir, Haydn Welch, Samantha Whelpton, Emily Whittaker, and Nicola Wood.
External links
- Doc Counsilman Helped Usher In An Increasingly Graying Trend In Channel Swimming
- The Original Triple Crowners More Than Doubled In 2022
- International Day of Older Persons and the Aging Demographics of Open Water Swimmers
- 10K Under 10°C, Ger Kennedy Joins Cold Water Swimming A-Listers
- Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Class of 2021
- Jaimie Monahan, Ned Denison Discuss Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame On WOWSA Live
- Presenting The Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame On WOWSA Live
- Fergal Somerville, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Contributor – Administrator
- Conor Gunn Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Owen O’Keefe Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Colm O’Neill Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Fergal Somerville Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Imelda Lynch Inducted In Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland
- Petar Stoychev, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Swimmer
- Christof Wandratsch, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Swimmer
- Ice Swimming Hall of Fame – Class of 2020 Announced
- Jackie Cobell, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Swimmer
- Murmansk Winter Swimming, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Event
- Kate Steels, Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Swimmer
- Antarctic Circle Challenge, An Ice Swimming Hall Of Fame Honor Event
- Swimming With Shivers
- Swimming With Smiles
- International Ice Swimming Association
- Fergal Somerville Crosses The North Channel
- Open Water Swimming
- English Channel website
- T Minus 10ºC - Has Fergal Somerville Set The Standard?
- Fergal Somerville To Speak At Global Open Water Swimming Conference
- Gary Fitzgerald Did Fish In Memory Of Arthur Dunne
- Ice Milers Show Warmth
- International Ice Swimming Association
- When Open Water Greats Go Ice Cold
- Top (Ice) Milers In History
- Rostislav Vitek Breaks Ice Mile Record
- 2016 Irish Long Distance Swimming Association Awards
- Irish Long Distance Swimming Association Official Website
- Irish Long Distance Swimming Association Facebook Page
- Open Water Swimming
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- International Ice Swimming Association
- 4th Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim
- Daily News of Open Water Swimming
- John Ryan Out-miles Fergal Somerville, Carole Laporte
- Observing Channel Swims Up North
- 65 Years 204 Days 14 hours 22 minutes To Swim North
- The Story Behind A Successful North Channel Swim
- Oldest Individuals To Swim Across The World's Channels
- Vanessa Daws Completes The Lambay Swim Trilogy
- Pat Gallant-Charette Raising The Bar
- 4th Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim
- 2016 Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim
- Swimmer, Adventurer Fergal Somerville
- Oldest Individuals To Swim Across The World's Channels
- Corinna Nolan, A Woman Of Extreme Talents
- Never Too Old, Facing Challenges With Pat Gallant-Charette
- Have Fun, Do Good, Enjoy A Swim
