Vitamin Sea

Back in early December of 2017 I got an email through the Contact Form of this website from a woman called Shauna in the RTE Documentary Department. She was looking to talk to me about being in a documentary about the power of the sea in people’s every day life. She had read that I was swimming daily and about how much it meant to me. We met, got on easily and the planning began.

Yesterday the documentary aired on RTE at 9:30pm on a Monday evening. My phone buzzed incessantly as people tuned in to see me talk about Liane, her death and my new reliance on the cold water therapy of the sea.

Watching myself on the screen was equal parts challenging and strange. Lots of questions stirred. How different was I then to now? Did I do her memory justice? What would her family think? What would the other people in the documentary think? If Liane could watch it, what would she make of it? It unsettled me for the week. I felt the grief come pouring back in. I had many conversations both online and face-to-face that were hard and tiring. I hurt anew.

As a piece of TV I found the show beautiful. The way it was shot, the way the stories were handled and edited. The footage and the people. So many brave souls and kind souls. It was an honour to have Liane and myself sit in amongst such a lovely group. It made me proud. And it made me sad. I miss her dearly.

Vitamin Sea (on RTE Player until the end of April)