Co Down teen aims to become youngest to complete Irish Triple Crown challenge

A Newry teenager is aiming to become the youngest person to complete the Irish Triple Crown swimming challenge.

A-level student Daniel Smyth, 17, has already become the youngest solo swimmer to cross the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland.

He also completed the Galway Bay swim earlier this month and now has his eye fixed on the Fastnet swim in Co Cork to finish the Irish Triple Crown.

Daniel is hoping to become the youngest to do the challenge, as well as completing the three swims in the shortest period of time.

He admitted his focus on swimming only started to aid his waterpolo performance, but he soon caught the bug of distance swimming.

He took part in the youngest team of people to swim the North Channel, around 35km, from Donaghadee in Co Down and Portpatrick in Scotland last September, and followed that up by becoming the youngest individual to complete the swim in July in a time of 12 hours and 26 minutes.

Swimmers at Donaghadee, Co Down (Michael McHugh/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Michael McHugh

He completed the 10.5km Galway Bay swim on August 30 in a time of two hours and 31 minutes, and is hoping to complete Fastnet, a 20.5km swim from Fastnet Rock and Baltimore Pier in Co Cork this month.

With Newry pool currently closed, the training demands for the Abbey Grammar School student includes having to travel very early in the morning to pools in Banbridge, Dundalk and Craigavon, all before his day in school.

His mother Elena said Daniel still manages to balance the demands of school and achieved an A and three Bs in his AS Levels earlier this summer.

While many channel swimmers battle jellyfish stings Daniel said he managed to escape them during his solo swim, describing the currents as a tougher challenge.

He said as he approached Scotland, he had to battle a current for three hours.

“I was swimming well with a bit of a wind behind me at the start, but then we hit the currents with about six hours to go. At six kms, Scotland doesn’t look all that far away, it was right there but I knew I’d get through it eventually even if it took a bit longer than I’d have liked,” he said.

“There were two Scottish guys camping on the beach when I landed, they said hello and asked if I had come from Portpatrick because I’d landed a couple of km from there, so I said, ‘no, I came from Ireland’.”

Daniel paid tribute to his coach Keith Garry, himself a North Channel veteran, for his support and ensuring he was well prepared.

He said he celebrated the swim with a burger and milkshake, and was delighted to receive a video from swimming Olympic gold medallist Daniel Wiffen congratulating him.

“So I’m focused on the Triple Crown at the minute, and my A-levels which are also very important, I am told,” he said.

“Then university and I’ll see what other challenges come up.

“If I see something that sounds pretty cool, I’ll probably give it a go.”

Mrs Smyth said he loved the challenge of the North Channel as part of the relay team and decided he wanted to try it by himself.

“He had been in those waters before so even though it was a different experience, it was still familiar territory,” she said.

“People come from all over the world to do that swim, and I can just imagine the shock to their systems but for him having done the relay last September he knew what to expect and he loved it.

“Even though this all started from waterpolo, he just loved it and seemed to have a real knack for it, he loved being in the water, even when conditions were rough, he loved that even more.

“Even the cold and the jellyfish didn’t put him off.”

She paid tribute to his maturity beyond his years to cope with a challenge that many tend to try later in life.

“He’s a very sociable person and this is a very lonely sport, the solo swim, but he seems to have the mentality to do it.

“He always baffles us as to how he can keep going,” she added.