A Dublin man has decided to brave the cold Irish Sea to raise money for a good cause.
Gavin Doran, 27, hopes to be the first solo swimmer to successfully make the 35-hour long journey across the sea from Holyhead to Dublin.
The Malahide man launched a GoFundMe page to raise €10,000 for Pieta House as part of the challenge.
Gavin told Dublin Live: "I've been swimming most of my life and I was looking to do something different. This looks like the only swim that hasn't been done.
"A couple of people have tried it and a couple of relay teams over the years but nobody has really made it across solo. So it just seemed like it was calling to me."
He said he wanted to turn the big challenge into an opportunity to raise money for the mental health charity with a number of events planned over the next few months before the big swim.
Gavin, who is the operations manager at The Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club, said he plans on making the 58-mile journey by the standard open water swimming rules meaning without any wetsuits or thermal aids. All he'll be wearing is a hat, goggles, and a pair of toggs.
Speaking about his previous experience as a swimmer, Gavin, who has raced internationally in triathlons and once in a modern pentathlon, said the challenge was "a bit scary, I guess, but it wouldn’t be worth doing if it wasn’t a bit scary".
He said: "I have the support team there with Malahide Yacht Club are doing the boat support which is fantastic.
"They’re going to tie in with Malahide Sea Scouts as well so there’s plenty of support there. I’ll be around experienced sailors."
He added: "My preparation is a combination of three factors at the moment, it’s working on the nutritional side of things and trying to get enough calories in.
"I did my first major training swim just at the weekend. I did 34 kilometres in the Aquatics Centre in Blanchardstown. So that was a nine and half hour swim. So that was 10,000 calories burnt in that 10 hours.
"Then I’m working with a physio team to keep the body healthy with the amount of swimming and the volume on the body. And then there’s the swimming training itself. So these three factors coming together will hopefully get me across the line."
If you want to help Gavin raise money for his cause you can donate here.
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