Crispin Thorold
Ned Denison checks swimmers into the water
Sandycove – a small, grassy and windswept island just off the south coast of Ireland – is easy to miss. It’s only 200 metres from shore, and is nestled in the western entrance to Kinsale harbour in County Cork. Until not so long ago the island was known mainly for its resident flock of feral white goats, but one day in 1995 a man visiting from Dublin decided to try to swim around it. From that adventure, Sandycove has developed into one of the main global hubs for Channel swimmers.