Gaelforce Great River Swim, live.

Downstream on the Shannon to Lanesborough

The Gaelforce Great River Swim is a downstream open-water swim on the River Shannon finishing at Lanesborough, at the northern end of Lough Ree.

The 2027 swim is on Saturday 15 May and opens the Gaelforce Great Swim Trilogy, followed by the Lake Swim in July and the Fjord Swim in September. Lanesborough sits in County Longford beside Ballyleague on the Roscommon bank, a central Midlands location about 135 km from Dublin and 42 km from Athlone.

Four distances finish at Lanesborough. The 800 m is the gentle introduction, with a 40 minute cut-off. The 3.5 km starts further upstream and follows the bends of the river down to the town, with 1 hour 30 minutes allowed. The 5.8 km is for confident swimmers, with a halfway cut-off at 1 hour 30 minutes, and wetsuits are compulsory if the water is 11 degrees or colder.

The 12 km Ultra is billed as Ireland's longest downstream swim. Entrants must be at least 18 and have swum a 3.9 km race in under 1 hour 45 minutes within the past year. The halfway point at 5.8 km must be reached in 2 hours 15 minutes, and the final cut-off is 5 hours.

The organiser recommends a wetsuit for the 5.8 km and 12 km distances. Race packs with the swim hat and timing chip are posted in advance, and there is plenty of parking in Lanesborough. After the swim there are refreshments and live music at the finish, where spectators are welcome.

On Livebib you can follow a swimmer live if they choose to share their own position from the phone they carry, for example sealed in a tow float. That position comes from the swimmer, not from the organiser's timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.