Over €2k raised by ‘Dip in December’

In the cold hard depths of winter, when getting into sometimes choppy lake water and the mercury has dropped close to freezing point, it helps to have a gathering of close-knit friends to give you an added bit of encouragement.

“Get on with it! You’ll feel better after it” - is the shared philosophy, delivered with gusto, by several dozen members of the Annagh Lake Dippers, who took part for the second year running in a fundraising initiative titled ‘Dip in December’.

The brainchild of Therese Johnston (nee McSeain), one of the founding members of the Annagh Lake Dippers, yet again they helped raise several thousand euros for the Cavan branch of MS Ireland.

Therese started the initiative last year given how the pandemic had severely impacted the fundraising ability of local charities. The cause is personal for Therese too, whose sister Eilís from Cornafean lives with the disease.

In total, over the past two years, Dip in December has helped raise close to €5,000 for MS Cavan.

The morning “dip” at Annagh is particularly eventful says Therese. Where there might have only been a small handful attending with regularity 12 months ago, now there is a strong contingent that can reach anywhere up to 12 or more entering the water depending on what day it is.

“The 9.30am dip is the biggest giggle you could have. There could be 10 or more, and then there may be four or five even going in at 4pm or 5pm, in the dark, just to feel the cold.”

She clarifies that, if the water temperature drops below five degrees, it’s technically considered “ice-swimming” - not that this puts anyone in the group off.

The feeling of exhilaration, whether seasoned and swimming out to one of three distance appointed life-buoys, or “just having splash” as Therese puts it, is like “nothing else”.

“We have 50 odd on the Whatsapp group now, and maybe more on other social media. And there’s always a cup of tea after, and even sometimes I’ll bring the gas stove and whip up a few sausages.”

That was the scene on the final dip in December, New Year’s Eve, with the main component of the lakeside snack provided to the group by local company, Cunningham’s Sausages in Belturbet.

“There were 88 sausages dished out, three gas stoves on the go, and they were devoured in minutes,” laughs Therese.

The final ‘Dip in December’ was one of three so-called ‘Big Dips’ on the Annagh swimming calendar marked by Therese. The others included the first week in December, and also on the Full Moon.

“Some of the girls came out and put candles out, so everywhere was lit up. It was really beautiful, and people brought along mince pies and non-alcoholic mulled wine. So it has been a fabulous experience this year.”