Young Leitrim man takes on epic River Shannon swim for charity
Aiming to complete the 230km River Shannon swim in seven days, Conor Lanigan is raising funds for the Irish Cancer Society this August inspired by his family.
A young Leitrim man is taking on an incredible challenge as he attempts to swim the length of the River Shannon this August, all in the name of charity.
Nineteen-year-old Conor Lanigan from Carrick-on-Shannon has been training for the epic journey since May. However, his preparation began long before that, having swum competitively with Trident Swim Club for 13 years until January.
Conor is raising funds for the Irish Cancer Society, a cause that is important to him for many reasons and one inspired by his family. “When my grandad was 70, he rowed 100km while he was recovering from cancer. Then when he was 80, he rowed 80km while raising money for North West Hospice,” Conor explained. Cancer has had a significant impact on Conor’s family, as his mother recovered from the disease and his godmother is currently undergoing treatment.
“I'm trying to push myself and show I can dedicate myself to something and go through this,” said Conor.
The swim will cover more than 230km, with both physical and mental endurance playing a crucial role. Conor says one of the biggest challenges will be the mental aspect. “You’re in the water for three hours with just your thoughts. You run out of things to think about.”
He also believes the swimming itself will not be the hardest part, but rather keeping up with the nutrition required. Conor explained he will have to eat every three hours for 40 minutes to maintain his strength.
Conor is training at Aura Leisure Centre and in the River Shannon near his home. His years of competitive swimming have helped prepare him for the challenge. “Competitive swimming has definitely prepared me well. In competitive swimming you have to swim really fast. Now that I’m doing a slower pace, it feels really easy. I’m just trying to get used to my shoulders being battered and being able to keep going,” said Conor.
The record for swimming the length of the Shannon is eight days, set by Paul Little in August 2025, while Patrick McDonnell completed the journey in 14 days in 2018. Conor hopes to complete the swim in seven days. “I’m only 19 and I’d be happy to finish it any time but that’s the goal,” said Conor.
Conor has already received a great response to his fundraiser locally after posting about it online, raising half of his fundraising target in just one day.
Conor’s fundraiser is available to donate to here.