Galway swimmer to take on the length of the River Shannon in memory of late brother

This summer, Aidan Sheridan will set out to swim the entire length of the River Shannon in Ireland in memory of his late brother Mark and to raise money for two Irish cancer charities.

Aidan, from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, will be one of just a handful of people to ever complete this ambitious swim. The route begins at Dowra, Co. Cavan, covering 245km to Curraughgour, Limerick. Setting off on 15th July, Aidan aims to complete the challenge in 14 days, averaging 17km per day.

He commented: “To put this challenge into perspective, more people have walked on the moon than have swam the length of the Shannon.”

The swim will be raising money for the Irish Cancer society and East Galway & Midlands Cancer support, a cause close to Aidan’s heart. Back in 2016, Aidan ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks in aid of Breast Cancer Ireland after his sister Jennifer was diagnosed with Breast cancer, and thankfully made a full recovery.

The swim will be in honour of Mark, Aidan’s brother. “In late August 2017 my brother Mark was diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away at the start of September 2017.” Aidan said. “The last chat I had with Mark he jokingly said that because I ran 52 marathons for Jennifer I’d have to do something bigger for him.”

Aidan will be accompanied by two support kayaks, and groups of local swimmers are offering their moral support in pledging to join him for parts of the swim. “I’m very excited, it’s coming around quick now,” he said, “the training is going well so that’s all I can ask for.”

You can donate to Aidan’s cause here and follow his journey on Instagram and Facebook.