By Carmel Hayes
AN amazing Mountmellick woman has completed a daring double swim on the east and west coasts of the USA, raising more than €8,000 for a charity very close to her heart.
Joan Fennelly waved triumphantly at friends and supporters on Saturday, after she swam from Manhattan to Liberty Island in New York. Just three days earlier she braved the torrid waters of the west, from the famous former prison island of Alcatraz to San Francisco Bay. Both swims extended to about 3.5km in difficult conditions, with choppy waters and strong currents.
It is a remarkable achievement for the intrepid 58-year-old, who has raised funds for countless worthy causes with swimming challenges over the years.
The beneficiary this time is particularly special, as Joan set a target of €7,500 in aid of St Vincent de Paul Mountmellick with whom her beloved mum Marie Fennelly, who passed away last December, was a volunteer for over 50 years.
Joan exceeded the target just before she set off from Alcatraz at about 7am on Wednesday, or about 3pm Irish time, with boat crew support that included her brother Paul. By Sunday, the fund climbed to €8,200 and will remain open for another 36 days.
In an exhausted but delighted update on the swim challenge WhatsApp group on Saturday night, Joan revealed that the New York swim was particularly demanding. She said: “ It was a very, very choppy swim with a lot of swell and turbulence from big ferries, boats and jet skis flying past. The complications of my swim hat popping off mid-channel was a big added distraction but I was happy to complete the 3.5km swim within an hour.
“As I had to breathe to my left so as to ensure I stuck close to my kayaker Chris, I didn’t manage to see much of Ellis Island while swimming past. I have to say, though, it was very spectacular swimming so close to the Statue of Liberty – never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could or would manage to do that.”
In an update the night before the San Francisco swim, Joan recalled: “I have only ever been on Alcatraz Island once and that was as an 18 year old student – little did I think then that I’d be swimming it 40 years later as a 58 year old.”
She added: “I firmly believe that anything in life is possible, if you have ambition and determination, but equally important is to surround yourself with the right people who can encourage, inspire, advise and coach you to achieve the seemingly unachievable and that’s what’s signified by my swim hats – my Henley Open Water Swimming Club (HOWSC), my Henley Mermaids and best friends and green for Ireland, my home nation.”
Messages of support flooded in from both sides of the water, with one commenting: “Joan, they will all be in the heavens cheering you on stroke by stroke.”
Now based in Henley on Thames, Joan thanked everyone who supported her latest adventure, which will help so many people in Mountmellick.
When she set up the fundraiser, she explained: “Over the years, my townsfolk have been incredibly benevolent in supporting my various fundraisers, so this time around, I am keen to go back to my roots and work closely with a charity that is at the heart of the community of Mountmellick, where I grew up.
“For those of you who knew my Mam, she was a force of nature within our community, but a little known fact about her was that she was the only child of two Irish immigrants who met and married in New York – she was a phenomenal matriarch and is the inspiration for my fundraiser this year.”
To donate to Joan’s fundraiser, go to the link:
Joan contemplates the challenge ahead in San Francisco Bay
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Publish date : 2024-09-15 11:03:00
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