Latest volume of records has Irish winners in sport, skateboarding… and even video games
Notable sporting inclusions include rugby captain Johnny Sexton, footballing royalty Kerry and boxing role model Katie Taylor.
The latest volume of records, out today, includes the feats of 13 Irish record holders. More than 30,000 applications have been sent to the book’s compilers.
Endurance ice swimmer Ger Kennedy was the first man to complete the Ice Sevens, when he swam his seventh ice mile in 36 minutes and 55 seconds in 3.9C water, in Portillo, Valparaiso Region, Chile, on October 4, 2019.
Ger was inducted into the Ice Swimming Hall of Fame this year. “This accolade reflects 10 years of blood, sweat, and tears – such a journey in the ice,” he said.
Meet the stars in the new Guinness World Records 2024 edition
Another ocean feat was achieved by Mark Walton, when he completed the fastest crossing of the North Channel on a prone paddleboard.
He travelled from Donaghadee, Co Down, to Portpatrick, Scotland, in four hours, 55 minutes, and 15 seconds, on July 1 last year.
Gareth Peter Pahliney, from Cloghan, Co Offaly, established a record last February for having the largest collection of Deadpool memorabilia with 2,250 items.
Another collector, Naomi Finnegan, recorded the fastest time to collect all variants of the original 151 Pokemon in an online community event, taking 16 hours 23 minutes and 12 seconds in June last year.
Dubliner Alfie Conroy got his name in the book for completing the fastest hat-trick with a goalie on FIFA 22 (Under-16s) in one minute and 1.83 seconds.
The largest skinny dip was achieved by 2,505 women during an event organised by Deirdre Featherstone in Co Wicklow, on June 9, 2018.
The most skateboard heelflips in one minute is 28, and was achieved by Irish man Jamie Griffin at Hop Kingdom, London. He pushed himself even further by completing the most varial heelflips in one minute (23). Both feats were achieved in July of last year.
Jamie Griffin has two skateboarding achievements.
Johnny Sexton has the record for the most conversions in rugby’s Six Nations Championship, with 92 in total. He achieved this between 2010 and 2022.
The late motorcyclist Joey Dunlop achieved the most wins (26) in the tough Isle of Man TT race. He achieved this record between 1977 and 2000. He died in a race in Estonia in 2000.
Katie Taylor’s fight with Amanda Serrano in April last year was the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden in New York.
Finally, Kerry made the record books for achieving the most football All-Ireland final wins (38) between 1903 and 2022.
Craig Glenday, editor in chief of the records book, said only a small percentage of claims made it through the selection process, so this year’s lot are the “cream of the crop”.
“I say it every year, but it’s the best edition yet,” he said.