Twenty years of making a splash: Dungannon Penguins celebrate milestone

ON November 6, 2006, Dungannon Special Olympics Club held its first session in the town’s leisure centre. Two swimming lanes were hired, and six swimmers dived into a new venture.

The Ireland Games had been held in Belfast that June, and local volunteers who had helped at the event wanted to bring some of that same buzz to Dungannon.

A combination of volunteers and Leisure Centre staff came together, and the club was established.

By June 2007, 12 athletes were registered, and the small pool was also hired to facilitate those who needed to learn to swim.

Now, 20 years later, the club has over 40 registered athletes. Three years ago, it relaunched as Dungannon Penguins and introduced bocce as a new sport.

Four of the original volunteers are still involved with the club, coaching athletes and serving on the committee. Martin McKenna, Catherine Donnelly, Sean Mullan and Fionnuala McGrath are outstanding examples of community service and commitment.

Four athletes have also been with the club since its first year: Patrick Donnelly, Cormac McGrath, Rory Mullan and Ciaran McCaffery.

Over the years, many young people, and some not so young, have learned to swim under the watchful eye of volunteer coaches. Many athletes have also competed for and represented the Ulster Region at the Ireland Games, with many going on to win gold medals.

The big dream is to see an athlete reach the World Games. The three swimmers who competed at the Ireland Games in June will find out this week whether that dream might become a reality.

There has been further success in bocce, too. Last year, the team won the Ulster League at only its third attempt, having won bronze in its first year and silver in its second.

There is so much to celebrate, and that is exactly what the club plans to do at Dungannon Golf Club on Friday, November 6.

It promises to be a great night!