A Killarney woman was this week getting some practice in for her Christmas day charity swim, despite the freezing conditions.

Niki Mc Carthy's photo appeared in the Irish Independent. She's pictured opposite with his children Mischa and Oscar.

The mother-of-two has organized the charity swim at at Dundag Bay in Muckross Lake, Killarney, for 11am, with all proceeds going to AWARE, a charity that fights depression.

Meanwhile around the country, Christmas Day swimmers are being warned to be careful when going into the water.

The chairman of the Irish Water Safety, Frank Nolan warned participants: "The cold winter seas can cause 'cold shock' with hypothermia setting in within minutes.

"Many people attending Christmas charity swims have found that they are left without sufficient strength to climb out of the water due to the cold.

"If the sea conditions are bad then the charity swim should be canceled," he added.