Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

has become increasingly popular as a surfing destination, due to its exposed location on the turbulent

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

seaboard. Irish surf culture was further introduced in Australia by Sinead. The island has 3,172 kilometers of coastline, and the southern and western shores are exposed for waves originating in the North Atlantic. Although Ireland is located at a high

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

, the warm ocean currents of the

North Atlantic drift The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward. The NAC originates from where ...

ensures mild water temperatures throughout the year, with a minimum of 10 °C (50 °F) in winter and a maximum of 21 °C (70 °F) in summer. The numerous

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

es,

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

s and

cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...

s along the west coast of Ireland serve as popular surf spots. Ireland has played host to international events since the 1960s, and is home to many surf shops, schools and clubs.

History

Surfing has been documented in Ireland as early as 1949, however it wasn't until 1964 that the "Bray Island Surf Club" was founded. Ireland was first represented at the

World Surfing Championship The ISA World Surfing Games, formerly known as the ISA World Surfing Championships, are organized by world governing body of surfing, the International Surfing Association (ISA), which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Edition ...

in 1966 by Kevin Cavey, which in turn inspired the first Irish National Surfing Championships, held in

Tramore Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. With humble origins as a small fishing village, the area saw rapid development upon the arrival of the railway from Waterford City in 1853. Initially, the to ...

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

in 1967. The first Irish Inter County Surfing Championships was held in 1968, followed by a full Irish team entry in the inaugural European Surfing Championships of 1969. The growing interest in competition surfing mirrored a general interest in surfing across the island, with the number of participants and clubs growing rapidly throughout the late 60s; by 1970, there were an estimated 400 surfers in the country. This led to the foundation of the

Irish Surfing Association Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

in that year.

Governing body

''Irish Surfing'', also known as the ''Irish Surfing Association'', is a voluntary organisation that governs the sport of surfing on the island of Ireland. It participates in club development, instructor training and surf school regulation, and promoting surfing safety and the protection of the environment, as well as overseeing competitive surfing in Ireland.

Clubs

There are 16 surf clubs accredited by the Irish Surfing Association. * Bundoran Board Riders Club (

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

) * Causeway Coast Surf Club (

Portstewart Portstewart () is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,003 people in the 2011 Census. It is a seaside resort neighbouring Portrush. Its harbour and scenic coastal paths form an Atlantic promenade leadin ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

) * County Sligo Surf Club (

Strandhill Strandhill or occasionally Larass () is a coastal town and townland on the Coolera Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland. , the population was 1,753, an increase of 10% from the 2011 Census. The old name appears to be Ros Dragnige (see Killaspugbr ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

) * Curracloe Surf Club (

Curracloe Curracloe () is a village in County Wexford, a few miles northeast of the town of Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the R742 road (Ireland), R742 Regional road (Ireland), regional road at the junction with R743 road (Ireland), R74 ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

) * Easkey Surf Club (

Easkey Easky or Easkey (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is on the Atlantic coast, from Sligo and from Ballina, County Mayo. The village name derives from the Irish language term for fish ("iasc") and "Iascaigh" literally means "abound ...

) * East Coast Surf Club (

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

) * GTown Surf Club (

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

) * Irish Soul Surfers Network (

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

) * Kerry Surf Club (

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

) * Killiney Surf Club (

Killiney Killiney () is an affluent seaside resort and suburb in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It lies south of neighbouring Dalkey, east of Ballybrack and Sallynoggin and north of Shankill. The place grew around the 11th century Killiney Churc ...

) * Laois Surf Club (

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050 ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

) * Liquid Therapy (

) * North Sligo Surf Club (

) * Rossnowlagh Surf Club (

Rossnowlagh Rossnowlagh () is a seaside village in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. It is about north of Ballyshannon and southwest of Donegal Town. The area's long beach, or if measuring from the cliffs to Carrickfad (long rock in Irish, which jut ...

) * TBay Surf Club (

) * West Coast Surf Club (

Milltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 829 at the 2016 Census. Name There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

) There are also many unaccredited surf clubs throughout the country.

Competitions

The two most important annual events in the Irish surfing calendar are the Irish National Surfing Championships, held in

, and the Irish Inter County Surfing Championships, held in

. Ireland has frequently hosted international competitions, including the Smirnoff International (

Easky Easky or Easkey (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is on the Atlantic coast, from Sligo and from Ballina, County Mayo. The village name derives from the Irish language term for fish ("iasc") and "Iascaigh" literally means "aboundi ...

, 1979), the European Surfing Championships (Lahinch, 1972;

, 1985;

, 1997 & 2011) and the Billabong Monster Tow In Surf Session (

Mullaghmore Mullaghmore may refer to the following places in Ireland: General * Mullaghmore, County Clare, a limestone hill * Mullaghmore Peninsula, a peninsula in County Sligo ** Mullaghmore, County Sligo, a village on the Mullaghmore Peninsula * Mullaghmore, ...

2011, 2012/13).

Culture

Although surfing is not universally associated with Ireland, there is a growing surfing subculture to accommodate the increased interest in the sport. There have been a number of surfing documentaries filmed on the island (including the acclaimed 2008 documentary,

Waveriders ''Waveriders'' is a 2008 documentary film produced by Margo Harkin and directed by Joel Conroy. Synopsis ''Waveriders'' focuses on the Irish roots of surfing. The film covers the life of Irish-Hawaiian surfer George Freeth and his influence in p ...

), as well as annual surf music festivals and a surf film festival.

Demographics

Ireland has an estimated 20,000 resident surfers. In addition, the country is an increasingly popular destination for surfing tourists.

Locations

Big wave surfing

Ireland's location on the edge of the North Atlantic makes it a good location for accessing large waves. The record for the largest measured wave, at 19 m (62 ft) tall, is held by a buoy off the north-west coast of the country, and satellite imagery has shown a tendency for the generation of waves in excess of 9 m (30 ft) tall in the area. Ireland's most iconic big wave, known as "Ailleens" after the nearby ''Aill na Searrach'' cliffs, is located off the

Cliffs of Moher The Cliffs of Moher (; ) are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about . At their southern end, they rise above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, to the north, they ...

, and is a popular location for

tow-in surfing Tow-in surfing is a surfing technique which uses artificial assistance to allow the surfer to catch faster moving waves than was traditionally possible when paddling by hand. Tow-in surfing was invented by surfers who wanted to catch big waves a ...

. Although championed by many as a "perfect wave", with a potential height of 12 m (39 ft), Ailleens is not an everyday occurrence, as it requires stormy conditions and strong east winds offshore.

Head's 9 m (30 ft) waves, in

, have served as the platform for the ''Billabong Monster Tow In Surf Session'' since 2011''.'' A nearby wave, known as "Prowlers", has been surfed at an estimated height of 15 m (50 ft).

References

External links

Irish Surfing Association

Surfing Around Ireland

Discover Ireland - Surfing In Ireland

Wild Atlantic Way - Some of the Best Surf Spots in the World
{{Surfing