Unsinkable: the story of Alan Corcoran’s swim of the length of Ireland
A new film about Alan Corcoran’s 500km swim along the coast of Ireland premiered at the Wander Wild Festival in Killarney last month, and will be touring theatres across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada this year
A new documentary about Irish adventure athlete Alan Corcoran’s unprecedented 500km swim along the coast of Northern Ireland and Ireland will be touring theatres across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada this year.
Unsinkable, which premiered at the Wander Wild Festival in Killarney last month, tells the story of Alan’s 500km swim from the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim to Tramore in County Waterford.
With the stunning backdrop of Northern Ireland and Ireland’s wild coastline, the film reveals the succession of challenges Alan faced during such a monumental undertaking. Raising €30,000 for cancer and stroke charities in memory of his dad, Milo, Unsinkable explores a person’s journey through grief, using the swimming project to channel negative emotions into a meaningful, hopeful, inspiring adventure.
Second time lucky
Alan’s first attempt at the swim failed in 2017 because his support boat sank in County Down after 210 km of swimming. With a £13,000 bank loan and a new support boat (UNSINKABLE II), Alan successfully swam the 500km in 2019.
Alan stopped swimming in primary school only to take it up again aged 25, eight months before his first attempt at the Irish coast swim. Alan was the first to run a lap of Ireland – 35 marathons in 35 consecutive days – and so far he has raised €45,000 for stroke, cancer, and sports charities through his resilience challenges.
The film is an independent creation made by Emagine (a Waterford-based creative agency) and Alan Corcoran with the support of 121 Kickstarter crowdfunding backers who contributed €6,000.
Here’s where Unsinkable will be shown in Northern Ireland and Ireland:
Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford City, 21 April
Gate Cinema, Cork City, 26 April
Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar, Dublin City, 27 April
Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Wicklow, 28 April
An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk, Louth, 29 April
Strand Arts Centre, Belfast City, 3 May
Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford Town, 9 May
Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford City, 6 May
Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Mayo, 6 June
Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny Town, 9 June
Town Hall Theatre, Galway City, 15 June
Whale Theatre, Greystones, Wicklow, 22 June
Learn more about Alan’s incredible feat in ‘Unsinkable’ in theatres across Northern Ireland, Ireland and Canada this year. Visit marathonman.co for updates on dates and venues.
Abigail Whyte
Abi writes swimming news stories and features for the Outdoor Swimmer website and manages the social media channels. She loves to swim, run, hike and SUP close to her home in Herefordshire. While she’s a keen wild swimmer, Abi is new to the world of open water events and recently completed her first open water mile. She has previously written for The Guardian, BBC Countryfile Magazine, BBC History Magazine and Ernest Journal.
