Swimmer Daniel Wiffen securing his second medal is helping to bridge a gap in communities North and South of the Border, with his success hailed by politicians across the political divide. He joins four other athletes from Northern Ireland to win medals at Paris 2024, when Team Ireland and Team GB are combined.
The blended nature of identities was illustrated just before Daniel hit the water in Paris at 5.40pm on Sunday when – in a show of community support – the Upper Bann Fusiliers band performed through Magheralin village on the Armagh and Down border.
Eamon Wright, who celebrated his 91st birthday the day Wiffen clinched his first Olympic medal, recalls teaching Daniel and his twin brother Nathan to be altar boys in the local St Patrick and Ronan’s Church.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better birthday present with Daniel winning the gold and bronze medals. Both boys were lively even back then and loved bringing in their swimming medals to the church when they were wee boys to show everyone,” he says. “We can’t wait for him to come home.”
Wiffen, who was born in Leeds, England and moved to Magheralin as a toddler, is one of three-medal winning athletes on Team Ireland from North of the Border – the others being Rhys McClenaghan from Newtownards, Co Down and rower Paul Doyle from Banbridge, Co Down – one half of the bronze-medal winning double sculls finalists. Two other athletes from Northern Ireland – swimmer Jack McMillian and rower Hannah Scott – have won medals for Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, giving the North five medal-winning Olympians so far.
This compares to four athletes born in the Republic of Ireland Mona McSharry, Daire Lynch, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy. Not that anyone is paying too close attention to borders.
Caitríona Hughes, of the Magheralin community association, speaks warmly of Wiffen’s family and their involvement in local activities. “There is an oak sculpture in the village which depicts life here over 1,500 years so Daniel’s name will have to be added to it.”
The family home, just over a kilometre from the village, straddles the Armagh-Down border.
Those gathered in Daniel’s Byrne’s Bar on the edge of the pristine village which has Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic buildings nearby, say they always believed in his talent.
Trevor Woddell, who says Daniel is the best swimmer in the world, says religion “doesn’t come into it” in Magheralin.
“We are a community and we support our own no matter what they do. We are all the same,” says Woddell.
Wiffen, a Loughborough University IT and business student, started swimming with his identical twin Nathan at just three months old in the local Water Babies sessions. Legend says they could often be seen escaping from the changing rooms and crawling towards the water. They began formal swimming lessons with Cignets Learn to Swim in Lisburn Leisureplex.
Anne Burke, who taught the brothers when they were aged five and six, says they were always having fun.
“Even when the boys were younger, the had no airs and graces. They often used to swap their glasses, as one wore red and the other blue, so they were lovely tricksters even then. Nathan is quieter than Daniel but both were very bright.”
DUP Cllr Ian Wilson for Banbridge, Co Down, said that it is great to see “a local guy doing so well at the Olympics”. He noted Northern Ireland has produced a record share of medals this Olympics.
“Rhys McClenaghan [from Newtownards] who won gold on the pommel horse in gymnastics and the two rowers Philip Doyle from Banbridge and Daire Lynch who claimed bronze medals are all to be celebrated,” says Wilson.
He added that it is “wonderful that local people succeed and it’s good for everyone from grassroots up to see what it is like to be on the world stage through hard work and determination. Everyone is happy that it is time for our athletes to shine”.
Sinn Féin lord mayor of Armagh city, Banbridge and Craigavon Cllr Sarah Duffy was adamant that the Olympics “unites everyone, especially with sports. Politics should not come into it. I’ve no doubt that all the sporting success is inspiring generations of young people not involved to get involved in sport.”
Wiffen’s former headmaster at St Patrick’s Grammar School, Dominic Clarke, said he was “always very confident Daniel would win another medal. Everyone has a significant amount of pride. He is held in very high regard and over the moon with what he has achieved. Daniel has so much more to give the world of swimming and I’ve no doubt he’ll want to win another gold in the next Olympics and achieve a world record as he’s only 23 years old. We can’t wait to see him in the next month or two so we can cheer him on and see those wonderful medals”.
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