After all the rainy weather, there was brilliant sunshine yesterday when long- distance swimmer Robert Bonane completed what is believed to be the first swim from the Great Skellig rock to Portmagee on Valentia Island, Co Kerry.
The Cork man was raising funds for the Skellig Stars under whose banner about 14 people from south Kerry are to compete in the Special Olympics.
Mr Bonane (37) was taken on board the Mary Caroline to the Skellig early yesterday and at 9.05am he jumped off the bottom step into the cold Atlantic. Six hours and 29 minutes later, after covering the 13 miles, the swimmer was cheered home by 150 people on Portmagee's pier, accompanied by a flotilla of small boats.
He was greeted with champagne and taken to shower and recuperate. According to Dermot Walsh, chairman of the Skellig Stars charity, Mr Bonane had been in training "a long time".
This is the second marathon swim in Kerry in two days. On Sunday Londoner Kevin Murphy, who has swum the English Channel more than 30 times, swam from Valentia Island to Coumeenoole Strand on the Dingle peninsula in under eight hours.