The story of Alan Corcoran’s unprecedented length of Ireland – 500-kilometer – sea swim for charity has all the hallmarks of a fascinating documentary. With the stunning backdrop of Ireland’s wild coastline, the story unfolds to show the succession of challenges faced during such a monumental undertaking. It’s a film that explores a person’s journey through grief, using the swimming project to channel the negative emotions into a meaningful, hopeful, and inspiring adventure.
Irish-born Alan Corcoran was inspired to swim the entire length of the Emerald Isle after an unexpected loss. Alan will cross golf courses and face nasty jellyfish carving his way through treacherous waters during his journey.
Initially, when his father suffered a stroke, Alan ran thirty-five marathons in thirty-five days in support of raising money for heart and stroke charity. Unfortunately, Alan’s father lost his brief battle with cancer five years later. This loss compelled the grieving son to swim the length of Ireland to raise money for cancer and heart disease research. His first attempt at swimming the length was a disappointment after his vessel sunk, and Alan needed to be rescued by the coast guard. Determined to complete his second attempt, Alan undertook various preparations like training to avoid hypothermia by working with a sports doctor to be more comfortable swimming in frigid North Sea temperatures and acquiring a cramped sailboat following his daily mileage and a place to sleep. Jumping forward to June 2019, along with his girlfriend Karolina and two crew members, he begins the swim mainly with a Kayak following his route for safety.
The documentary does not overstay its welcome at just under an hour, and Alan is one of the most sensible athletes I have ever seen. Whenever there was a questionable or dangerous condition, the swimmer would forgo completing a challenge if it could potentially be fatal. So many subjects in sports docs are more than willing to sacrifice themselves to complete a challenge or claim a new record. As a fellow swimmer, I applaud him, and I will be looking forward to Alan’s next physical feat.
“Unsinkable” is currently playing on the Film Festival Circuit
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