Ted Keenan, who died last week, looks at the watch he wore when training and swimming the English, The North and the Bristol Channels. The watch was given in 1973 by Keith Styles, right of T.A. Mercer’s Jewellers to help ted with his training. Ted’s sons Brian and Tony took the watch back to the jewellers and with the help of Jonathan Styles, back right he had the Omega watch restored to it’s original condition.
FERMANAGH lost a true sporting great and a ‘mighty man’ last week after the death of swimming legend Ted Keenan.
He remains the only Irish man and only the second man in the world to have conquered all three Channel swims – the English, North and Bristol Channels. He passed away on Tuesday night September 24 and the funeral Mass was held on Thursday morning at St Michael’s Church.
Ted was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Swimmer in 1984.
He was the first Irishman to swim the English Channel on August 13, 1972 in 18 hours 11 minutes, and crossed the North Channel on 11 August 1973 in 18 hours 27 minutes.
In 1975, he completed a triple crossing of the Bristol Channel from Glen Cove on the English Coast to Coney Beach at Portcrawl, Wales, at its widest point, in a record time of 14 hours 26 minutes.
He also completed several charity swims in the aid of Cancer Research, and the physically and mentally handicapped, including once swimming 1000 lengths of a swimming pool.
Son Brian, who accompanied his father on every major swim spoke of a ‘giant of a man’ who he thought was going to live forever.
He remembered Ted’s swim of the North Channel in 1973, his toughest test in the water.
“It is the toughest long distance swim in the world because of the extreme cold and the jellyfish.
“I was only a child of 13 at the time and I thought this was one of the greatest feats of endurance I had ever seen in my life. I thought at that time he was going to live forever, he was a giant of a man.”
It was not just his swimming heroics that were noteworthy explained Brian.
“He was a very dedicated man, had a great spirit and was always up for a bit of craic, he was good to the grand children and to us he was a mighty man.
“He never got the recognition he deserved though, if he was doing now, what he did back then he would be knighted. Someone like Andy Murray has an entourage of 30 people and Ted had no coach, no trainer, all he had was me.
“The only people that recognised him were the International swimming hall of fame, who inaugurated him in 1984. He cried like a child the day he was accepted, it was like a footballer winning the world cup.
“He also did every swim for charity. I remember he used to say when he swam he only had one day to suffer while others suffered their whole lives. He was a legend of a man.”
Brian explained that his father’s death was a shock, but it was not sudden.
“His health had been steadily going down hill and we had probably been in mourning for two years. It was a release for all of us including him, but he was still daddy and that’s the bottom line.”
A large crowd was present to pay respects to Ted, who would have been 79 on Sunday past.
At the funeral service Father Noel McGahan spoke of a ‘mighty man’, who was very humorous, quick to respond and who liked to get his own way,which he invariably did.
He also spoke of the love Ted had for his family and for music. Ted was a great country music fan and as the funeral cortege left the church Merle Haggard was played.
Ted is survived by his son, Brian and wife Marie, Enniskillen; son Tony and wife Yvonne, Enniskillen; and daughter Chanele and husband Scott Fawcus, South Yorkshire.
Also surviving Ted are seven grandchildren: Pauric, Eimear, Carla, Dwayne, Jack, Darcey and Erin.
The burial took place at Convent Cemetery, Enniskillen and funeral arrangements were handled by Enda Love.
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