'We had the Mayo flag' - the story behind one woman's historic Channel swim

The story of Mayo woman Carol Commons is unique, incredulous, and inspiring in equal measure.

On Monday, August 18, when she emerged from the bitterly cold seawater north of Port Patrick in Scotland, she did so as part of history.

Carol, in that moment, became the first person from Mayo, and indeed Connacht, to swim the length of the North Channel between Ireland and England.

The Killala woman endured some of the most gruelling conditions, including the bitter cold, as she braved the seas during the night and the stings of jellyfish. 

However, the details of her Herculean feat were far from where we started our conversation.

Instead, she took us back to when she first dipped her toes (both literally and figuratively) into the world of long-distance swimming.

“My sister rang me one evening and asked if we would bring the kids to the pier,” she said. “We landed down to the pier and all the mothers then started to get in on the fun. 

“We swam from the steps to the slip, which was 100 metres in total. Then, we set up a group and started meeting up every day.”

Those swims lit a fire in Carol, who took it as an opportunity to push the boundaries of what she thought was possible. After a few lessons in Ballina Swimming Pool, she started with the ‘small’ swim of three kilometres.

Up next was six. Then a ten-kilometre event in Sligo.

“My goal on that one was not to be last, because I felt a ten-kilometre event was such a big achievement. So when I was up in the top half, I felt, ‘Oh God, what can I do next?’

“That's when I started thinking about a channel swim, but it was such a mad dream, I wasn't really saying it to many people.”

As the Ballina Dental Practice worker went from strength to strength, including her 21.5-kilometre Fastnet swim in Cork, her achievements eventually saw her receive the  Jimmy Cranney Connacht swimmer award at the Irish Long-Distance Swimming Association’s ceremony.

CHASING THE DREAM

However, that wasn’t her ultimate goal. The dream remained of traversing the 34-kilometre North Channel. She linked up with her coach, Newry man Stephen Grimley, and went to work.

“I tried it in 2023 and nearly got there. Same again in 2024. I didn't get as far in ‘24, but I took the one positive I could from it, I was getting quicker.”

“My head started telling me I was cold and all this, you know. It's like the cold seeps so deep into your bones that you forget what warmth feels like.”
In a sign of a true warrior, Carol was not to be deterred.

On Sunday, August 17, she set off from Larne with her sights fully set on Scottish shores. This was new territory for any Connacht swimmer, but steeliness was in no short supply in spite of the challenges.

“You don't imagine the jellyfish things to be as bad. I'll never complain about local jellyfish again; they're nothing compared to these guys.

“But at times I welcomed the stings. I was so cold at one stage that I said, ‘Thank God for it.’ I started visualising the sting as warmth through my body.”

JELLYFISH SPOTTING

Carol may have been undertaking this mammoth task solo, but she had an army alongside her, as she was joined in a support boat by many people, including her closest friends from Kilcummin Swimming Club.

“You have to surround yourself with good people for the likes of this. One of my Kilcummin swim buddies, Sean Kelleher, was put in. He was jellyfish spotting.

“They said, ‘Look, you have to get in with her.’

Once he got in, I just felt like I was back in Kilcummin again. I was able to go for another five hours after he got out.”

When times were tough and motivation was hard to come by, those nearest and dearest to her spurred her on.

Some 18 hours later, the coastline was in her sights once more. With a heart bursting with pride, Carol Commons touched down on the shore in Scotland, a stone’s throw away from Port Patrick. Ecstasy was in no short supply. She failed in 2023. She failed in 2024. She didn’t fail this time.

CELEBRATIONS

“We had brought the Mayo flag and the tricolour, and it was lovely to lift the Mayo flag on the Scottish beach.

“I went with a different strategy this time. Every time I'd be jumping off the boat on my two failed attempts, I used to shout, ‘Up Mayo.’ This time, I brought the tricolour with me as well.

“The Mayo flag still ended up in the bag, but I was afraid I was bringing the curse with me. So, I said I'd bring the tricolour too, and hopefully I was bringing the luck of the Irish rather than the curse of Mayo!”

The celebrations lasted the week, and continued when the party touched down in Bessie’s Bar in Lacken on the Friday, the happiness lit up the pub long into the night.

However, someone with the endeavour of Carol is hard to stop. Now, she’s already campaigning for better facilities for those who wish to follow in her footsteps.

“The problem we have in North Mayo is the lack of facilities. There was nowhere I could go and train for the hours I needed.

“I had to go into a hotel pool, which is warmer than the normal. That's why I'm the first for Connacht, so I'd be hoping we could address that in the future.”