Inisfree‘I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;And live alone in the bee-loud glade.’The Innisfree on which WB waxes lyrical in his famous poem is in reality, very small and somewhat underwhelming. It’s located close to the Sligo, Leitrim border, less than a kilometre from the shore of lovely Lough Gill near to the romantic ruins of Creevlea Abbey.The first time I paddled out to Innisfree many years ago, I found myself wondering where WB even found the space for his bean rows or his hives. But it is a magical place. The lake water is still gently lapping at the shore and ‘the evening’s all a glimmer’….And it is still an incredibly peaceful place.If Yeates were alive today he would probably be telling us that he came to Innisfree in order escape from the chaos of the city, to practice mindfulness and for the obvious mental health benefits. But him being poor, having only his dreams and of course being an exceptionally gifted poet, expresses this sentiment much more poetically. …As it happens, I’m not on Lough Gill at present but just over the other side of the Cuilleach Mountains, on Lough Allen. I’ve come to the Lough Allen Adventure Centre, close to the village of Drumshanbo for three days of intensive swim training. With only 10 weeks to go before the start of the Flo Flo Dermo, Shannon Source to Sea Challenge, I’ve moved into a higher gear, hoping to extend my daily swim distance from 5k to 10 k. And this will gradually be increased over the summer until I’m putting in consecutive 25 K to 30 K sessions.The Flo Flo Dermo Challenge had its Genesis more than 50 years ago when I was a small child, fascinated by rivers, big and small. Another favourite childhood poem, still oft recited by my 96-year-old mother, was Tennyson’s, The Brook.‘I come from haunts of coot and hern,I make a sudden sally,And sparkle out among the fern,To bicker down a valley.’‘For men may come And men may go.But I go on forever.’From a very young age, I’ve been drawn to puddles, ponds, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water large and small. I'm forever awed by the complexity of their ecosystems, by both the energy of flowing water and the tranquility of still water, by the sheer majesty and mystery of that sacred element. I’ve come to learn that one can become acquainted with the river in a very casual way when relaxing on the riverbank or when fishing from a rowing boat. But to really become acquainted with a river, to understand and absorb it’s unique personality, to actually become one with it, you must travel from its source in the mountains to where it enters the sea on the coast.Last summer, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity of paddling the River Yukon in Canada and Alaska from source to sea. This adventure was documented both in my first book, “He Who Swears At Bears’. This summer, it’s going to be a truly immersive experience when I’ll be spending up to twelve hours a day, over two long weeks, battling, bathing, and simply just being in the River Shannon. The challenge will be begin on September 12th this year in the little village of Dowra, in County Cavan. I’d love to be beginning the swim at the real river’s source,-the Shannon Pot, high up in the Cuilleach Mointains. But to do so would involve a day of torrid bog snorkelling. I do intend plodding through the rocky shallows or perhaps to use the modern term ‘canyoning’  from the Shannon Pot to Dowra, on the day before I begin the challenge.From Dowra, it will be between ten and twelve days of endurance swimming, through the meandering midland river sections and also. through the many lovely lakes which puncture the Shannon, each one steeped in its own tales of mythology and lore.Flo Flo Dermo will be a very different experience from Yes Yukon. I’ll be on the river for approximately the same length of time each day but obviously swimming this time rather than paddling. However, unlike last year’s adventure, which was very much a solo experience, I’ll never be alone on the Shannon.The wonderful people in Emerald Star, Le Boat in Carrick on Shannon have gifted me with a beautiful cruiser, Caprice, which will be my support boat for almost all of the challenge. Two of my very good choir friends, able seamen both, Mr Patrick Brennan and Mr. Jonathan Mason have agreed to pilot me safely through. I will be joined also by quite a number of kayakers and by some of my sea swimming friends for long sections of the challenge. Caprice has 6 berths and will provide high end accommodation and sustenance for my support crew. It’s going to be one heck of a very big adventure!As always, there’s an important fundraising component to this challenge. Bruce Clark, an old friend from my teaching days now works as a fundraising manager for Pieta and has worked with me on several of my recent exploits. He’s put me in contact with Mr Tom Mc Evoy, chief fundraising manager at Pieta and they’re going to put a great deal of energy into maximising the fundraising potential of this challenge. The fundraising target was initially €10,000 but I’m actually quite confident that we can achieve a great deal higher than this. Since my own battle with depression and my suicide attempt three years ago, I’m passionate about raising awareness of the importance of mental health and about raising funds for worthy charities like Pieta.But now it’s getting late and I must arise and go swimming. There is a lovely little island on Lough Allen, a few km north of Drumshanbo called Inismacgrath. And this is to be my destination for today. I fully appreciate that I am blessed to be here. Perhaps, I’m hearing the same voices as did W.B. in days long ago....‘I will arise and go now, for always night and day,I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,I hear it in the deep heart's core.’Dermot