In 1954, Glackin was a member of the Victoria Swimming Club in Belfast and played for their water polo team. He specialised in the
freestyle and was the 1955 Irish quarter-mile champion. On 3 June 1957, he moved from the Victoria Club to join East End Swimming Club in Belfast. He represented the
1958 Northern Irish Team at the
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in
Cardiff, Wales, participating in the
110 yards freestyle and medley relay events. He made the decision to retire from swimming after the August 1959 Irish Championships but ended up returning to his former club Victoria instead. == References ==