[Leica] IMGs: Liffey Swim 2019

[Douglas Barry]

Here are some images from the Liffey Swim - a 2.2 kilometre race that 
for the past 100 years has made its way down the river Liffey as it 
passes through the centre of Dublin on its way to the Irish Sea. As the 
river is not exactly the cleanest place to swim, although it is the most 
iconic, the races are held when the tide is high, and thus pollution is 
minimised. An old joke goes "How many prizes are there in the Liffey 
Swim? First Prize, Second Prize, and everybody in the race gets the Turd 
Prize".

There are two separate races for men and women as the races are 
handicaps and can become a bit of a melee passing under the twelve 
bridges on the course. With the handicapping system, the slowest go 
first, and the fastest last, so the aim is to have all the swimmers 
arriving at the finish line at the Customs House together. While such a 
scenario never actually happens, this can create a problem going under 
those bridges where the span is made up of narrow and low arches. Legs 
and arms trash in the competitive frenzy. Goggles and swim hats can be 
kicked off in the scrum, and it's not unheard of to hear of displaced 
dentures sinking to the bottom.

While I did triathlons myself back in the '80s which involved long sea 
swims, I have never done the Liffey Swim, but as a 70 year old finished 
third at the weekend, maybe there's still time :-) I haven't even been 
spectating at the Swim for fifty years as the last time I saw it was in 
the summer of '69 when I was working in Webbs bookshop on the quays, so 
my knowledge of its photographic vantage points was limited. As I had 
put my Pentax adapter in a safe place I couldn't use the 200mm lens and 
had to use my Sonnar 55mm f1.8 to get max sharpness.

Here are some images from the day. Click on The Liffey Swim in this 
album http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/Sport/

Douglas

who found the Pentax adapter almost as soon as I got home...