BRADENTON BEACH – The spirit of altruism won out over the cold Gulf waters as dozens of participants took the plunge in the annual Clancy’s Irish Pub’s Shamrock Shiver charity event on New Years Day.
The participants, many in costumes, gathered donation pledges to jump into the 67-degree water at Coquina Beach to raise funds for local charities.
Since 2009, Clancy’s annual charity plunge has raised $470,567 for local non-profit organizations. In recent years, the event has raised more than $30,000 each year.
“We at Clancy’s are committed to keeping the ‘Give Where You Live’ spirit alive by supporting local causes, empowering our community and making a lasting impact right where we call home,” the Clancy’s website stated.
The proceeds from this year’s event will benefit Healthy Teens Inc., The Blessing Bags Project and Hungers End – three non-profit organizations that help disadvantaged children in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
Healthy Teens’ stated mission is dedication to empowering youth to make positive, healthy decisions for their success and wellbeing.
“We provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed choices about their physical, mental and emotional health. We do this primarily through the Teen Health Educator Program, training high school students to become peer-educators and mentors serving at-risk youth in their community,” the Healthy Teens website states.
The Blessing Bags Project provides basic, critical needs to the homeless and less fortunate.
Hunger’s End operates a food pantry and blessing closet serving 500-600 families each month. Hunger’s End also partners with other organizations to provide free groceries, clothing and personal hygiene products to those in need.
Following the plunge, an after-party at Clancy’s on Cortez Road featured live music, live and silent auctions and raffles. Those proceeds also benefited the three non-profit organizations.
As of Jan. 2, the 2026 fundraising total had not yet been posted at the Clancy’s Shamrock Shiver website.
Participants in Clancy’s Shamrock Shiver charity event run into the chilly Gulf on New Year’s Day. - Leslie Lake | Sun
The folks plunged into 2026. - Leslie
A flock of flamingo-themed ladies made the plunge. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Participants in Clancy’s Shamrock Shiver charity event come out of chilly Gulf waters. - Leslie Lake | Sun
The Shamrock Shiver participants gathered at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. - Leslie Lake | Sun
After making the plunge, Brady joined the after-party at Clancy’s. - Leslie Lake | Sun
A list of auction items was posted at Clancy’s during the after-party. - Leslie Lake | Sun
