The Swim Ireland Podcast Swim Ireland

Our final episode in the series features the passionate Brian Sweeney, who is head coach at Templeogue Swimming Club, home of Ellen Walshe - the first Irish woman to swim 100m Butterfly in less than 60 seconds.

Team TSC is a thriving club with swimmers joining after Learn to Swim and continuing all the way through to Masters level, including getting involved in Open Water.

It's home is a small pool in Dublin, which Brian and Ellen are at the heart of.  She first entered Brian's radar aged nine, insisting on swimming a 500m sponsored swim entirely Butterfly.

Her love of the stroke has been nurtured by Brian to the point where next week she will attempt to swim the Tokyo 2021 qualification time for the 100m Butterfly at the Irish National Team Trials.

You can watch all the action LIVE from anywhere in the world via the RTE Player.

Steven Beckerleg, National Centre Dublin senior assistant coach, is our guest on the penultimate episode in The Swim Ireland Podcast Coaching Series!

Steven works closely with National Senior Team Head Coach Ben Higson, coaching the likes of Olympian Shane Ryan and Darragh Greene, who has met the qualifying time for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Steven also leads Swim Ireland's F4-24 Programme, which aims to qualify a female relay team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Having suffered big highs and lows as a competitive swimmer himself, Steven feels his strongest asset is his ability to empathise with his athletes, and he hopes no matter what that they will enjoy and savour their moments at Irish National Team Trials next week.

You can watch the Irish National Team Trials, incorporating Olympic & Paralympic trials, LIVE online from anywhere in the world via the RTE Player.

Episode 4 of the Swim Ireland Podcast Coaching Series features John Szaranek, head coach at National Centre Limerick, presently the home of rising star Eoin Corby and London 2012 Paralympian Jonathan McGrath.

The Scot has dedicated his life to swimming, meeting his wife while they both competed at teenagers, starting coaching through his swimming sons, and now moving his life to Ireland to oversee a hugely promising group of potential Olympians and Paralympians in Limerick.

Here he talks about the programme at NCL, how his team and athletes have adapted and coped during the COVID-19 Pandemic, what his best days in swimming have been, and what his hopes for the future are.

The future begins at Irish National Team Trials at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre on April 20.

You can watch all the action LIVE online via the RTE Player. Get the latest details at swimireland.ie.

Next up on the Swim Ireland Podcast Coaching Series, hosted by Joanne Murphy from Tri Talking Sport, is Paul Dennis - head coach at Bangor Swimming Club, the home of Ireland's National 200m Freestyle Record Holder, Jack McMillan, and the swimmer he took the record off, Jordan Sloan.

Where Paul grew up, people went to work on the ships. But as an avid swimmer, who had been trained to a high level, he had other ideas. He went on to achieve one of the world's first Sports Science degrees from Alsager Training College, now part of Manchester University.

Now Paul lives in Northern Ireland and has several swimmers on the cusp of Olympic qualification, and hoping to make their mark at Irish National Team Trials in Dublin from April 20-24.

You can watch all the action LIVE online via the RTE Player. Get the latest details at swimireland.ie.

Peter Hill, head coach at Larne Swimming Club in Northern Ireland, is the second guest on the Swim Ireland Podcast Coaching Series, hosted by Joanne Murphy from Tri Talking Sport.

Peter is responsible for coaching Ireland's fastest ever female swimmer Danielle Hill, and also coaches the similarly speedy Conor Ferguson. Both swimmers aim to qualify for the Olympic Games at the Irish National Team Trials on April 20-24 - available live via RTE Player.

The way Peter talks about his swimmers, methods and the team ethos he has built at 'Team Larne' is infectious and inspiring, particularly his attitude to failure.

For a coach and set of swimmers so motivated by being part of a team, the last 12 months have been particularly difficult. What affect has that had? 

For more info on the Irish National Team Trials head to swimireland.ie/competitions-events/competition-information

The Swim Ireland Podcast Coaching Series gives you a window into the minds of some of Ireland's finest aquatic coaches - all with one thing in common: Olympic or Paralympic prospects aiming to qualify for the Tokyo 2021 or Paris 2024 games.

Host Joanne Murphy from Tri Talking Sport talks to top coaches about their methods, how they have dealt with the past 12 months, what motivates them, and what makes their incredible athletes tick.

All the coaches in this series have athletes aiming for big things in 2021, with two key dates coming up in April for them:
FINA Diving World Cup - last chance for Olympic Qualifying - April 18-23
Irish National Team Trials - Olympic and Paralympic Qualifying for Irish swimmers - April 20-24

Follow all the action via Swim Ireland's social channels and swimireland.ie