Almost 200 lookalikes took to the sea in Ireland today for Marilyn’s Mater Paddle, as Morgan Ofori reports for The Guardian.
“Sporting retro swimsuits and blond wigs, swimmers dressed as the film star took the plunge at Balcarrick beach in Donabate, County Dublin, for Marilyn’s Mater Paddle.
Sunday’s event, now in its second year, was organised to raise funds for women’s cancer care at Dublin’s Mater Public Hospital. The goal was to generate funds to support the hospital in speeding up cancer diagnosis, enhancing treatments and providing world-class care to women from all over Ireland.
The director of development at the hospital’s foundation, Roisin Duffy, said: ‘We are incredibly humbled by the sisterhood of Marilyns who gathered in Donabate this morning for women’s cancer care. Marilyn’s Mater Paddle may seem on the surface like just a fun, Hollywood-themed dip but it’s so much more. It’s a paddle with a purpose and every splash and every donation made is helping us support women on their cancer journey in the Mater hospital.'”
Marilyn’s Mater Paddle has moved to Donabate from Bray in County Wicklow, doubling its participants since the inaugural event in July 2024 (see here), while in Australia, this year’s Marilyn Jetty Swim – now in its 12th year – attracted 700 lookalikes in February.
Brazilian-born Bella Rocha was diagnosed with severe myeloid leukaemia shortly after moving to Ireland in 2020. Amid worldwide lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, Bella was treated at the Mater Hospital, and joined those making a splash today.
And finally, you can donate to the Mater Hospital Foundation here.
The Marilyn Report 