Wexford Swimming Club is celebrating one of its finest summers yet, with swimmers qualifying for two of the biggest meets on the Swim Ireland calendar.

In July the Irish Summer National Age Group Championships were held over four days in the fine 50m pool at the University of Limerick, with qualifying clubs from every corner of Ireland descending on the campus in soaring summer temperatures.

Bringing home national titles and medals, Alvar Joakit (13) lit up the distance freestyle events, winning gold in all three – 1,500m, 800m and 400m freestyle – all with personal bests along the way.

Three national titles in the toughest events on the programme is a huge testament to Alvar’s training and endurance, and to the coaching behind him; what an amazing result.

Daniel Jordan, also 13, was the stand-out performer of the Age Group Championships, claiming six medals in five days: gold in the 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley, plus silver in the 200m backstroke, 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle.

He secured three national titles, all with personal bests, making it a proud moment for the club.

Julia Barrett had one of the busiest summers of any Wexford athlete, excelling in both water polo and swimming.

Selected for the 2011 national training squad, she helped St. Vincent’s to bronze at the WP Irish Under-16 Cup in Lisnasharragh, Northern Ireland, in March, before training at a summer camp in Croatia in July.

Remarkably, Julia went straight from that camp into the Irish National Youth and Senior Swimming Championships the very next day and still came away with a brilliant double bronze, in the 400m individual medley and 200m breaststroke, plus fourth-place finishes in the ‘A’ finals of the 50m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.

For a club of Wexford’s size, having swimmers from both the Senior and Age Group squads racing at national level in the same summer is a real achievement, and a proud reflection of the strength being built from the ground up.

Swimmer after swimmer qualified into ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals against the best in the country, coming home with personal bests almost across the entire squad. In a very real sense, every one of them was a winner this summer, medal or no medal.

Age Group squad: Alvar Joakit, Amelia Scanlon, Chloe Hore, Daniel Jordan, Emma Lynch, Isabella Mills, Killian Vaughan, Mia Egan, Niamh McCarthy, Sarah Kirby and Zophia Halas.

Isabella Mills (12) performed at such a high level on the national stage that she is now the club’s next young swimmer who has been selected for the Swim Ireland Regional Skills Academy programme along with her clubmates Alvar and Daniel, another sign of the depth of talent coming through at Wexford.

A week later the Irish Summer National Youth and Senior Championships followed over five days at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin, where there was the added thrill of watching Ellen Walshe, John Shortt and Evan Bailey race in the very same arena.

Amid that world-class company, Wexford’s swimmers came home with medals and amazing personal bests that left the whole club buzzing.

Youth and Seniors squad: Aisling O’Grady, Ben Ainsworth, Julia Barrett, Kate Howlin, Kristian Reck, Lily Murphy and Sinéad McCarthy.

None of this happens by accident. Wexford Swimming Club is run entirely by a dedicated team of voluntary coaches, led by head coach Martin Kirby and water polo head coach Murt Francis, along with Deborah Jordan, Áine O’Connell, Karina Tkach and Sheenagh O’Byrne, who volunteer countless mornings, evenings and weekends to coach and encourage every swimmer who comes through the door.

Behind them is a committee made up of dedicated parents, working tirelessly off the poolside to organise entries, fundraise and keep the club running smoothly week after week.

It truly takes a village to nurture athletes of this level, and none of this summer’s success would have been possible without that quiet, often unseen, dedication.

Wexford Swimming Club is also home to the club’s water polo team, which claimed the Under-12 national title last year.

Under water polo head coach Murt Francis, the club runs a thriving programme, and the results keep coming.

Indeed, 2026 has been just as productive as the mixed Under-12 side won the first-ever Leinster Shield in May, beating Athlone in the final, and then won five of six games at the Irish Cup in June, reaching the semi-final before narrowly losing the bronze medal match to Corrib.

Murt’s son, Tomás Francis, also guides and coaches the water polo players and brings real pedigree to the role, having won national honours himself as a player with St. Vincent’s, one of the country’s most successful clubs.

That St. Vincent’s connection runs right through the club, with Wexford players turning out for the Dublin side across several age groups this year.

Under-19: Joseph Collier, a talented long-serving player with St. Vincent’s, and Sinéad McCarthy, who has taken that connection even further, earning selection for the Irish Under-19 national squad, a brilliant achievement.

Under-16: Ben Ainsworth joined St. Vincent’s this year, a great move for a talented player, alongside Aisling O’Grady, Julia Barrett and Sophia Mills, who helped the side to bronze at the Under-16 National Cup.

Closer to home, Wexford’s own age-group sides had a big summer too.

At Under-12 level, Pádraig McCarthy, Conal Molloy, Clodagh McCarthy, Rory O’Hanlon, Callum Whitney, Oran Devereux, Theo Marchal Quirke, Isabella Mills and Iris Andrei were the squad behind that Leinster Shield and Irish Cup run, capping a successful summer of blitzes.

The Under-14s were widely recognised nationally, with Conan O’Grady, Oliver McEvoy, Rowan Barrett, Conal McCarthy, Oliver Ainsworth and captain Ben Kehoe also enjoying a strong summer of blitzes.

Aisling O’Grady, part of that same water polo pathway, also travelled to a summer training camp in Croatia before lining up at the Irish National Youth and Senior Swimming Championships the very next day, further proof of the strength in depth coming through the club’s water polo and swimming programmes together.

Oliver Ainsworth and Conan O’Grady represented Wexford Swimming and Water Polo Club at a follow-up camp in Varna, Bulgaria.

Congratulations to Ben Kehoe and Isabella Mills who have been selected for the 2013-2014 National Training Squad just this week.

Well done to everyone that attended the water polo camp at the University of Limerick. Wexford’s water polo section is always on the look-out for new members of all ages.

Wexford’s community spirit isn’t confined to the pool. Last year, sea swimming club member Tommy Kehoe took on a huge personal challenge, swimming out to the Saltee Islands in a charity swim with clubmate Sinéad McCarthy and with a whole team beside him, raising over €4,000 in the process.

The proceeds were split between the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Wexford Swimming & Water Polo Club, a fantastic gesture from one member that captures exactly the kind of community spirit the club is built on.

Wexford Swimming & Water Polo Club wants to celebrate every one of its swimmers for their successes inside and outside the pool and is inviting new members, young and old, to try swimming and water polo this September.

Whether your child dreams of national titles or simply wants to build confidence and fitness in the water, there’s a place for them at Wexford.

For more information, visit the club online at www.wexfordswimmingclub.ie or follow us on Instagram. New members of all levels are warmly welcomed.

With a summer like this behind them, Wexford Swimming & Water Polo Club is also looking to the future, and is currently seeking sponsorship for the year ahead.

Any local businesses or individuals interested in supporting the club’s swimmers and water polo players are warmly encouraged to get in touch.