Swim Procession
June 11th 2022
‘One must not be afraid of big, open stretches of water; one must be in complete harmony with nature’
Mercedes Gleitze*
Saturday 11th June, 2022
A promenade performance from Ladies Beach to Blackrock, Salthill.
Photograph taken during Mercedes' Galway Bay swim on 3 August 1931. The Connacht Tribune.
In 1931, on Sunday 3rd August, Mercedes Gleitze swam from Inis Meáin to Awleen Bay in Spiddal. The 20 mile (as the crow flies) swim took her 19 hours and she was the first swimmer to make this crossing. The intended destination was Salthill 22km away and a large crowd had gathered to wait for her to swim in. To make amends for not finishing in Salthill and disappointing the crowds Mercedes gave a Demonstration Swim at Salthill the following Tuesday.
Inspired by Mercedes’ demonstration swim in the area, and the importance of music in all her swimming feats, Vanessa created ‘Swim Procession’ a new promenade performance at Blackrock.
Starting at Ladies Beach at 7pm, local swimmers wore headdresses created by Vanessa as they warmed up with songs led by Adhoc Choir, before following behind Ruth Clinton playing the pump organ along the prom, in a procession to Blackrock diving tower. Here, the swimmers entered the water and swam back to the shore. They were accompanied by live performances from the beach by Big Jelly, Órla McGovern and Laurie Link-Gordon and Landless, who performed ‘As easy stop the sea’ at the finale of the event.
*Doloranda Pember (2019), In the Wake of Mercedes Gleitze, The History Press, p.85.
