Dermot Higgins, a 62-year-old former teacher and adventurer, swam down Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon, in ten days – a feat which made him both the quickest and oldest individual to accomplish this. Higgins, who once survived a bear attack, managed to complete the 250km distance four days quicker than the record set in 2023 by Ger Moore from Cork. Moreover, he beat the oldest record-holder, Dean Hall from the United States, by 22 days. The primary aim of Higgins’ two-fold record swim was raising mental health awareness.
Born in Skerries and a victim of depression himself, Higgins planned to use all the funds gathered from his swim to directly benefit Pieta House – a charity committed to suicide and self-harm prevention. He remarked that this journey turned out even better than he had ever dreamed, aided by the fantastic weather and overwhelming support from people. Higgins ended his journey at the Curragower Boat Club in Limerick city at 11.21am.
Higgins’ success hinged heavily on careful preparation. Starting with pool training in January, he continued the regime with warm-water exercises in Morocco before taking on multiple lengthy sea swims. This wasn’t his first endurance challenge, however. He had earlier become the first and oldest Irish man to cycle around the globe for a charitable cause. Higgins candidly admitted having experienced severe mental health issues – including two major depression episodes, one ending in a suicide attempt.
He applauded Pieta House for their huge support, saying that he might not have been alive if not for them. Overcoming these challenges, Higgins has managed to raise over €250,000 for various charities, with Pieta House being closest to his heart. He stressed the vital role they play in educating people about detecting mental health crisis signs, as well as supporting affected individuals and their families.
Reflecting on his brush with death on the Shannon, Higgins grinned as he remembered his near-death experience with a bear during a kayaking journey on Canada’s Yukon river. “It was clear that death was a possibility,” he shared, pondering on his close encounter where he was unprepared and caught off guard as the bear approached his tent, while he was asleep.
“Being within just one metre away from the bear, I felt incredibly lucky to have had pepper spray. I discharged it at the bear before losing consciousness momentarily,” Higgins recalled. He woke up about 30 minutes later, covered in his own sick, but still managed to get himself to the river. Upon his arrival in Dawson City, Higgins discovered that he was missing a shoe – a souvenir taken by the bear.
Looking forward, Higgins expressed that he aims to swim around the entire coast of Ireland next summer. However, this plan greatly hinges on the likelihood of securing a sponsor.