North Channel

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Map of the North Channel

Relief map of the Irish Sea. The North Channel lies to the north of the Irish Sea, and the St George's Channel to the south. (Major ports shown as red dots. Freight-only ports as blue dots)

The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as Sruth na Maoile, and alternatively in English as the Straits of Moyle or Sea of Moyle) is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland. It is part of the marine area officially classified as the "Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland" by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).^[1] In the nineteenth century, Alexander Keith Johnston's suggested name St Patrick's Channel had currency, but it was rejected by the hydrographic department.^[2]

The deepest part is called Beaufort's Dyke. The Channel connects the Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, and Bowers was thus a favourite haunt of privateers preying on British merchant shipping in wars up to the 19th century; in 1778, during the American Revolutionary War it was also the site of a naval duel between American captain John Paul Jones's Ranger and the Royal Navy's Drake. It is crossed by a large number of ferry services. In 1953, it was the scene of a serious maritime disaster, the sinking of the ferry Princess Victoria.

Unionist Northern Irish political leaders for decades lobbied the UK government to construct a rail-link tunnel under the North Channel, the better to integrate Northern Ireland with the rest of the United Kingdom. In August 2007 the Centre for Cross-Border Studies proposed the construction of a 34 km (21 mi) long rail bridge or tunnel, estimating that it may cost approximately £3.5 billion.^[3] In the Victorian era, engineers proposed a rail tunnel between Stranraer and Belfast.^[4]

This channel was formerly known as the Irish Channel.^[5][6][7]

Swimming

The Irish Long Distance Swimming Association ILDSA has provided authentication observers for swimmers attempting to cross the approx 22 mile span between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Galloway`. According to the ILDSA, this was first accomplished in 1947 by Tom Blower. Since that time, only 14 additional solo-swim attempts have been successful, accomplished by 10 different individuals.^[8][9]:

1. 1947-07-27 Tom Blower
2. 1970-09-11 Kevin Murphy
3. 1972-00-00 Kevin Murphy
4. 1973-08-11 Ted Keenan
5. 1988-08-22 Alison Streeter
6. 1988-08-23 Margaret Kidd
7. 1989-00-00 Kevin Murphy
8. 1989-00-00 Alison Streeter
9. 1997-00-00 Alison Streeter
10. 1999-07-27 Paul Lewis
11. 2000-07-21 Steve Price
12. 2004-07-31 Colm O´Neill
13. 2008-09-12 Colleen Blair
14. 2010-08-31 Steve Redmond
15. 2010-09-01 Anne Marie Ward

References

The Irish Long Distance Swimming Association ILDSA has provided authentication observers for swimmers attempting to cross the approx 22 mile span between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Galloway`. According to the ILDSA, this was first accomplished in 1947 byTom Blower. Since that time, only 17 additional solo-swim attempts have been successful, and only 7 relay teams.

28/7/1947. Tom Blower ( England ) . Ireland to Scotland . 15 hrs 26 mins.

11/9/1970. Kevin Murphy(England) .Ireland to Scotland. 11 hrs 21 mins.

29/8/1971. Kevin Murphy(England). Ireland to Scotland. 14 hrs 27 mins.

11/8/1973. Ted Keenan (Ireland). Ireland to Scotland. 18 hrs 27 mins.

22/8/1988. Alison Streeter (England). Ireland to Scotland. 9 hrs 53 mins 42 secs.

23/8/1988. Margaret Kidd (Scotland). Ireland to Scotland. 15 hrs 26 mins 03 secs.

25/8/1989. Alison Streeter (England). Scotland to Ireland. 10 hrs 04 mins.

7/9/1989. Kevin Murphy (England). Scotland to Ireland. 17 hrs 17 mins 48 secs.

18/8/1997. Alison Streeter (England). Scotland to Ireland. 10 hrs 02 mins12 secs.

27/7/1999. Paul lewis (England). Scotland to Ireland. 14 hrs 28 mins.

21/7/2000. Stephen Price (England). Scotland to Ireland. 16 hrs 56 mins.

Colm O Neill (Ireland). Scotland to Ireland. 11 hrs 25 mins 05 secs.

12/9/2008. Colleen Blair (Scotland) . Ireland to Scotland. 15 hrs 23 mins 59 secs.

31/8 2010. Stephen Redmond (Ireland). Scotland to Ireland. 17 hrs 17 mins 01 sec.

1st/2nd/9/2010. Ann Marie Ward (Ireland). Ireland to Scotland. 18 hrs 59 mins 26 secs.

27/7/2011. Craig Lenning (U.S.A.) Ireland to Scotland. 14 hrs 44 mins 50 secs.

2/8/2011. Howard Keech (England) Ireland to Scotland. 13 hrs 25 mins.

Relay teams

27/8/1990. Relay Swim by "Ireland One" (ILDSA). Ireland to Scotland. 12 hrs 03 mns 01 sec.

14/8/1993. Relay Swim by City of Liverpool. Ireland to Scotland. 10 hrs 39 mins 42 secs.

23/6/1996. Relay Swim by City of Dublin. Ireland to Scotland. 12 hrs 44 mins 56 secs.

20/8/1999. Relay Swim by " The All American". Scotland to Ireland. 13 hrs 11 mins 39 secs.

26/8/2002. Relay Swim by City of Liverpool. Scotland to Ireland. 12 hrs 47 mins 41 secs.

6/7/2004. Relay Swim by " The Swilly Trio". Scotland to Ireland. 14 hrs 41 mins 14 secs.

22/8/2011.Relay Swim by Team Camlough. Ireland to Scotland. 12 hrs 21 mins 12 secs.

See also

• Straits of Moyle
• St George's Channel

Coordinates: 55°03′27″N 5°37′19″W / 55.0575°N 5.62194°W / 55.0575; -5.62194