ELLEN CASSIDY
That Smile
In memory of Ellen Cassidy
Those gloomy winter mornings,
opening the pool at five a.m.
for the swimming club.
A troupe of young swimmers
filing silently past me
at the reception desk.
Heads down, still half-asleep,
barely a nod of recognition.
Until Ellen arrives
with her beaming smile
and suddenly the morning
doesn't seem quite so grim
after all.
Gerry Murphy, DSC
SUB TITLE
Ellen Cassidy was born in Cork on <insert date>. At an early age, she began to learn to swim and was soon a regular fixture on the pool at Dolphin as she moved through the junior ranks in the club.
It became clear quite quickly that Ellen was a talented swimmer, and she showed particular aptitude for the backstroke and freestyle. Combining this with a fierce appetite for training and a fearless approach to racing, she went from strength to strength. By the age of 11, she was training with the senior squad at the club and was attracting the attention both on the Munster and national scene. At this point, she was a regular competitor and winner at provincial and national championships.
At the age of 13, Ellen began to achieve times that qualified her for Ireland development squads and she progressed through the ranks in the national team to swim at numerous international events. Some of the highlights of Ellen’s international career were:
Qualified for Irish Schools Team in 2014 and 2015 to compete in the UK
National Squad from 2015-2020
Irish Development Squad as one of 5 Munster Team reps at Slovenian Nationals 2017
Qualified for and competed at European Junior Champs in Helsinki 2018
Represented Ireland internationally in Scotland, England, Slovenia, Portugal, Finland and Luxembourg
Club Captain
In parallel to her swimming development, Ellen had many other talents. She a was clear leader in the club and was appointed club captain at age 16. As well as leadership, Ellen brough a great warmth and happiness to all her interactions in the club – she was at the heart of everything and proved invaluable to Dolphin in a period of significant expansion for the club. Her warmth and the happiness of her smile lit up the pool deck – she made everyone feel special.
As a school swimmer, Ellen enjoyed unparalleled success, leading numerous St. Angela’s teams to dominance on the national stage throughout her years there.
Ellen’s talent and potential was recognised with a number of significant awards. She was the first athlete ever selected for the UCC Emerging Talent Program in 2016. In 2019, Ellen was awarded a prestigious Ad Astra scholarship at UCD, training under Earl McCarthy with the senior squad at Belfield. Following a subsequent transfer to UCC, Ellen was again awarded a sports scholarship went on to captain the UCC swimming club and led the team to national success. Having finished college and begun her career in Dublin, Ellen turned her athletic talent to running and was beginning to make her way as a marathon runner.
Above all, Ellen left an impression of warmth, happiness, good humour and positivity on everyone she met. The room was always that bit brighter when Ellen was present and she left an indelible mark of ambition and positivity on everyone in the club. Ellen’s passing in June of 2025 at the finish line of the Cork marathon was a brutal shock to everyone in Irish swimming and especially at Dolphin SC. Ellen and her family are absolutely part of what we are and what better way to celebrate her indelible legacy than with a gala to honour her memory.