A KILLALOE long distance swimmer negotiated a treacherous strait of water with mixed current during a 45.866 kilometre swim around the Big Apple in the United States of America.
Wearing a Munster red togs with FOLEY 8 on the back and an Irish flag on the front, Rosie Foley and her best friend Andrea Newport swam together in tandem under all 20 bridges around Manhattan Island. They swam 28.5 miles in eight hours and 28 minutes.
To make sure Rosie and Andrea were safe in the busy waters, they were accompanied by another close friend Fionnuala Walsh from Cappa near Kilrush, who swam this route eight years ago, on one of three support boats.
There was also a kayaker beside them from New York Open Water and they had plenty of support on dry land.
“My husband Pat, who was born in New York, and three children Oisin, Brendan and Siofra plus Andrea’s partner Alex were on land,” said Rosie.
“For the last two hours of the swim, I felt hugely privileged to be able to see the huge skyline of Manhattan.
“We enjoyed the sights for this part of the swim. I thought of all the people who went before us and arrived in Manhattan for the first time. The tide was with us and we knew we were nearly finished.
“We were tired but elated to see all our family and the support. It was a bit like paying homage to New York for giving me Pat in one sense and giving his family work.”
Hell Gate is a narrow tidal strait located in the East River in between Queens and Ward’s Island at the centre of a confluence of the New York Upper Bay, Long Island Sound, and the Hudson River via the Harlem River.
It runs the span of Manhattan’s 90th Street to 100th Street, while its narrower sister strait is known as the Little Hell Gate which flows in between Randall’s and Ward’s Islands.
What makes Hell Gate so difficult to navigate is that its own waters are in a continuous contention with those of the Long Island Sound.
“It is where three different rivers meet where there are different currents and whirlpools.
Two hours into the swim when we got to Hell Gate, the kayaker said ‘stick tight behind me’,” she recalled.
While Rosie joked she “drives her parents mad” with all her challenges, they are very proud of her.
“If Anthony was still alive, he would have said do you know there is such thing as a boat. That was the banter in the family.”
She completed this swim in memory of her late brother, Anthony “Axel” Foley and funds raised will go to her sister’s charity.
Orla’s wildways was set up in memory of Anthony Foley raising much-needed funds for CRY, which provides free screening for families at risk of sudden adult death, CARI that gives free counselling sexually abused children and the Mid Western Cancer foundation.
Orla cycled more than 3,000 km in 2021 of the Wild Atlantic way mindfully and savoured the epic journey whilst raising in excess of €30,000 for the nominated charities.
Loving the journey so much, Orla has continued to cycle the coast of Ireland and cycled across France from Roscoff to Carcasonne.
Last year, Rosie became the first woman to swim around Cork City, which was pioneered by her friend Ned Denison.
Swimming against the current during the Cork City challenge and against the tide from Pier Head to Ballycuggeran, Killaloe proved to be ideal training for getting through Hell Gate.
In addition to analysing information about these currents, she also spoke to swimmers who successfully managed to get through Hell Gate as a very good friend from Cork didn’t manage to navigate it.
After swimming in the lake every day for 12 months, she started training on November 1 in the University of Limerick with a view to completing the Manhattan swim, which has been on her radar for many years because of family connections.
Averaging between 10 and 14 kilometres a week in training during November and December, Rosie increased this up to 20 kilometres a week in January, February and March.
“It is great to be able to give these challenges a go with the aim of completing them. I feel privileged I have the opportunity to go and do this. A lot of people haven’t got this opportunity.
“There are a lot of things you can’t control on the day and you have to do what you are told on the safety boat if a health and safety issue arises.”
This is her third international endurance swim, having previously swam the English Channel and the Straits of Gibraltar.
The former Munster and Ireland rugby player also completed the 38 kilometres Lough Derg Swim,
Ice Mile under five degrees, Limerick City Island Swim, Galway Bay,Tralee Bay, Lee, Liffey swims.
She is currently president of Killaloe Ballina Rugby Club, and a full time PE teacher in St Anne’s Community College.
Last February, Rosie got her heart checked in the CRY Centre and is delighted to be able to give something back to a charity that has helped her family since the untimely passing of her brother, Anthony.
There is no guarantee of entry into this swim, which requires the submission of an extensive application form in early January citing reasons why the entrant wants to complete this challenge.
An assessment is made of the ability of the swimmer to complete this swim on the basis of their experience in previous similar events.
Rosie had to pay an entry fee of $3,000 to cover the cost of the kayaker, who accompanied the duo during their swim, a briefing on the best starting times and health and safety requirements.
For a normal solo event, it could cost a swimmer between $7,000 and $8,000.
Her husband’s parents met and married in the US; Pat and his older brother were born there. One of Pat’s cousins, Timmy was on the 23rd floor of the Twin Towers when it was attacked during the never-to-be-forgotten 9 11 terrorist assault and managed to survive it.
Twenty years ago, Rosie and Pat completed the Circle Line Cruise around the route she swam.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.