Donegal dippers: ‘whatever this group has – it should be bottled’

‘They’re not human,” one man walking his dog quips as the sound of voices joyfully singing Jingle Bells rings around Rathmullan Pier in Co Donegal. “They’re superhuman,” Dan Ruddy replies from the shore.

Dan is a member of the Rathmullan Casual Dippers and Gartan Open Water Swimmers, and his fellow members take the Christmas cheer to the icy water every year.

Either witty assessment could apply, but with the Inishowen Peninsula as a backdrop, the scene could not be more picturesque even if the temperature gauge outside is only just above freezing. These are hardy souls for sure, but the banter and infectious laughter would lift the heart and spirits of even the most Grinch-like characters at this time of year.

“Pure mad. It’s a prerequisite,” Paddy Bond (67) chuckles before dunking himself in. He is the resident Santa Claus among a cast of elves with festive hats and yuletide paraphernalia – and of course swimsuits. When asked his last name, he replies,

“Bond. The same as James. Sometimes he’s in disguise,” he laughs. Whatever this group has, it should be bottled because it’s pure uplifting joie de vivre.

Who would not laugh out loud as they sing Christmas songs in the freezing waters while waving and making funny faces? Some bemused onlookers wonder what they have stumbled upon on a weekday morning in the historic spot known as the setting-off point for the Flight of the Earls in 1607.

Whatever riptide of emotions is in your head, the sea will clear them for you

Caroline Barrett describes the Rathmullan group as “a symphony of joy” and “amazing” to be around, something she truly appreciates after dealing with a serious health issue over the last two years.

“It just wasn’t a nice place to be [healthwise], but this group here and the sea – you are just embraced [by everybody]. I never stayed out of the water. I had surgeries in November and December [2022], and I went back in the water on St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Eve and never came out of it since,” says Caroline.

While she grew up by the sea in An Spidéal in Galway, she only really got back into swimming five or six years ago after raising her family and joining the group. Now living in Cranford, she is utterly sold on the benefits.

“Sea swimming will give you that lift. You come out of the sea, and you think you can climb a mountain! Whatever riptide of emotions is in your head, the sea will clear them for you. Then you sit with this group here and have the chat. Everybody minds everyone.”

“Any puddle,” Bangor native Rea Doherty jokes of the many great spots in Donegal they have discovered for dips since she joined some years ago. There is a “social side” at all times, but especially so in the winter because “you’re not in the water for long because it’s so cold, so it’s that whole getting together, the headspace. You just feel alive,” says Rea, who is a nurse living in Ballybofey.

“I’m actually recovering this year from ovarian cancer, so it’s been really, really important. I was out of the water for a few months, but coming makes me feel alive. I’m supported by the water, supported by friends – even when I couldn’t get in and out of the water [it has been fantastic],” says Rea.

Christmas Crackers

It’s for that reason the group completed a Christmas Cracker Dips Tour on 14 December, hitting eight different beaches in one day in aid of Cancer Care West in Letterkenny. The group of 26 (16 did all eight) started in Rathmullan before moving to nearby Kinnegar, Magherawarden, Portsalon Pier, Downings, Killahoey, Portnablagh and Marble Hill.

She says the reason they are fundraising for Cancer Care West is because of “the support they have given me over the last year and continue to give. I’m coming out the other side, and everything is all good, but I’m still under their care. They are just amazing.”

She describes the centre in Letterkenny as a “godsend” to local cancer patients who can avail of counselling, different treatments, reflexology, support groups, and advice.

Prior to her illness, she and other members completed some ambitious events, like the North Channel relay. Another memorable one was a swim from the mainland to Rathlin Island in tandem, the first time it was ever done (normally it is completed in reverse).

“It’s like the gift that just keeps on giving,” says Rea. “There’s the endurance side of it, the challenge, the swimming for hours and the short dips [in and out] which are amazing.

She is keen to stress that there is something for everyone in the group and the craic is mighty. Many people are members of at least two swimming and dipping groups, and each supports the other’s events and local fundraisers.

For Rea, the water has been a great aid to recovery. “Getting back in the water, I would say, is just so healing. It’s hard to describe. We [in the group] feel that anyway, just being in nature or doing anything outside—you feel the benefits.

“For me, just getting back and being in the water was a big thing,” she says with clear emotion in her voice. “You get into the water, lie back, look at the clouds and let the water support you; it’s so healing.”

Therapeutic

Paddy Bond, is in complete agreement. While he was a swimming coach when he was younger, he left it behind for many years before taking it up again.

“I used to do a lot of running but my body gave up. I was lucky I had the swimming [to go back to],” he explains, clad in his Santa suit complete with white beard. “I get into the cold water to ease my back, help my bones. It’s great therapy. I swear by it. Even the doctors say just keep swimming.”

With members young and not so young, the groups are diverse and inclusive, he says. For anyone who is a bit hesitant, he advises to “just come in and walk. You don’t have to swim. One of the ladies here, that’s what she did for a while, and now she’s swimming.”

“There’s always somebody keeping an eye on you. We’re not perfect swimmers; we’re perfect dippers,” smiles Paddy, who swims every single day. He’ll be out on Christmas Day and will swim in the New Year’s Day charity swim in Rathmullan in aid of local charities. There is also a Christmas Day swim in aid of Foyle Hospice across the peninsula at Ludden Beach along with many others around the county throughout the holidays.

For Karen Crawford and her family, who live near Ramelton, a swim is part of their Christmas Day. “We come down for a quick crazy dip. It’s a tradition—in between having a bit of lunch and getting to eat [dinner], we don’t eat till late,” says Karen.

She is one of the more experienced swimmers having previously completed endurance swims like the North Channel swim with Rea [Gartan] and she even swam in the Arctic Circle. Having retired three years ago, Karen now enjoys shorter dips.

If you want to chat about something that’s worrying you, you can do that. Equally, you might see someone who is not in good form, and you support them

“It’s a great social group. When you look at it, the social bit is as important as the swimming. You never leave here in bad humour,” she says with the sound of uproarious laughter in the background as the tea and mince pies are being passed around.

“Even if you want to chat about something that’s worrying you, you can do that. Equally, you might see someone who is not in good form, and you support them.”

While Dan Ruddy is currently out of action after having some stents put in, the chats bring him back again and again. A former competitive swimmer, he left it behind many years ago but took it up again after the death of his wife nine years ago. Encouraged by his friends Karen and Paddy, he found it really helped, noting that swimming is almost like a form of meditation.

He tells Irish Country Living that he’s looking forward to getting back in the water and “that buzz, that dose of endorphins when you get out.

“In the really cold weather, when we come out of the water, we are like children. We are so giddy. You have a cup of tea in your hand; it’s [shaking]. It keeps you going all day. That buzz keeps you going.”

You can donate to the Christmas Cracker Dips Tour in aid of Cancer Care West by going to idonate.ie