North-west Ireland’s beaches are a top hang-out for extreme surfers, and now that the secret’s out, more and more people are riding their waves

Words: Alf Alderson

MOST NON-SURFERS are surprised to learn that there is any surf at all on north-west Ireland’s wild and often inclement coast. But in the last year, the world of big wave surfing received the opportunity of a lifetime in the most unlikely of locations: some of the most gigantic waves ever ridden boomed ashore at Mullaghmore Head, on the Sligo and Donegal coast.

Big wave surfers, like 27-year-old Alistair Mennie from Portrush, Co Antrim, have spent years exploring and surfing the region’s breaks: “I’ve been surfing at Mullaghmore for seven years and ridden big waves here, but this day was just off the scale – I’d never seen anything like it before.”

He wasn’t the only one. Crowds lined the headland to watch as waves with faces of 50-feet and more thundered ashore, and pro surfers Mennie and his South African ‘towin’ partner Duncan Scott, along with England’s Gabe Davies and Ireland’s Richie Fitzgerald, took it in turn to ride them.

“You don’t want to make any mistakes,” says Mennie. “The waves at Mullaghmore break a quarter of a mile out to sea and roll in out of 33-metre water to hit a rock shelf only 4.5 metres deep. So in a wipeout, there’s the chance of being slammed onto the reef, or held underwater for over a minute. And the water is stone cold, which doesn’t help.”

In return for the risks, however, you get the ultimate ride. “Incredible, terrifying and ridiculous” are just some of the adjectives Mennie uses to describe the experience.

“It’s only when you’ve safely ridden the wave and look back to see the next one rolling in that you realise what you’ve done,” he says, “that you’ve literally escaped from the jaws of the beast.”

Tremendous waves, such as these, pound much of the coast of counties Sligo, Donegal and Antrim throughout the winter. But we’re not suggesting you might like to give these a go yourself. In summer, the waves have a smaller swell but still provide small to big surf, making the region a hot destination for ‘normal’ surfers, or even beginners.

Surrounded as the coastline is by the stormy waters of the North Atlantic, there are few places in the world that have such consistent, quality waves, and although water temperatures obviously don’t compare to Hawaii or southern California, a good wetsuit more than compensates for the chill (some of which is offset anyway by the warming effect of the Gulf Stream).

On top of this, the prevailing winds are south-westerly, so, unlike the case of more popular surfing regions in the British Isles such as Cornwall and Devon, this creates perfect ‘offshore’ conditions, which hold up the face of a breaking wave to give great rides, and even the chance to get ‘barrelled’ (tucked inside the curl of the breaking wave).

The Causeway Coast of Co Antrim – about a one-hour drive from Belfast – is a good place to start any surfing journey of the region. Many of the surfers who come here use the busy seaside resort of Portrush as a base. This is Northern Ireland’s ‘Surf City’, with a range of breaks to suit all abilities of surfer (see box below for Mennie’s recommendations), as well as a good choice of bars, restaurants and accommodation for some no less important aprés surf.

The coastline here is probably one of the least known and most underrated for surfing in the British Isles. There is, of course, the unmissable Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site, a few miles east of Portrush. But who would know that the longest beach on the island of Ireland can be reputedly found to the west of Portrush at Magilligan? And the panoramas along the beautiful Antrim coast, and across to Scotland and Co Donegal’s remote Inishowen Peninsula, are unforgettable.

Of course it’s where the Co Donegal and Co Sligo coastlines converge that you’ll find north-west Ireland’s ultimate surfing destination – Mullaghmore, about a threehour drive from Belfast. Aside from the attraction of huge swells and high winds, brewed up by the area’s volatile North Atlantic conditions, international surfing aficionados also make the journey here for the relatively empty waters, as well as the inclination on the part of local surfers to share the waves, allowing them to surf and relax undisturbed.

There are many more excellent surfing spots dotted along this magnificent stretch of coast, at places like Easkey, Enniscrone and Strandhill in Co Sligo, and Bundoran, Tullan Strand and Ballyheirnan Bay in Co Donegal, and surfing tuition is widely available. The unpredictable weather means that most of the aprés surf happens indoors – in the local pubs mainly. But that can only be another good reason to go.

Few of us will ever ride the kind of monster swell that Mennie and his friends conquered at Mullaghmore, but even if you’re not ready to chase such giants quite just yet, northwest Ireland is simply a great place for surfing, year round.

HANG FIVE

NORTH-WEST IRELAND’S TOP SUMMER SURF SPOTS

Whitewater/West Strand, Portrush, Co Antrim
Whitewater has a sandy beach and is overlooked by the ruins of Dunluce Castle. “It’s good for all abilities of surfer,” says Alistair Mennie, “and will get waves from one foot (beginners) to 15 feet (experts only!). The waves at West Strand are easy to surf and occur consistently year-round, making it a good beginner’s break.”

Portstewart, Co Antrim
This big sandy beach owned by the National Trust “is a good option for beginners as the waves are not too powerful,” advises Mennie.

Portballintrae, Co Antrim
Downstream of the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, you can smell the goods when the winds are offshore. According to Mennie, “There’s often a wave here when everywhere else is flat and it’s very consistent and can get very big.”

Bundoran/Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal
Seaside town Bundoran has a celebrated beach culture, and has hosted the European Surfing Championships and the Quiksilver World Masters. In the 1960s nearby Rossnowlagh was one of the first places in Ireland to be surfed and is still popular today.

Easkey/Enniscrone/Strandhill, Co Sligo
These Sligo beaches have an international following among surfers – Irish pro surfer Easkey Britton is even named after one.

BACK TO SCHOOL

• Adventure One Surf School, Ballyheirnan Bay, Fanad, Co Donegal, +353 (0)71 984 2418; www. adventureone.net
• Alive Surf School, 101 Ballybogey Rd, Ballymoney, Co Antrim, +44 (0)28 2074 1662; www.alivesurfschool.com
• North West Surf School, Enniscrone, Co Sligo, +353 (0)87 959 5556; www.nwsurfschool.com
• Troggs Surf Shop, 88 Main St, Portrush, Co Antrim, +44 (0)28 7082 5476; www.troggs.com
• Turf ’n’ Surf Lodge & Surf School, 6 Bay View Terrace, Bundoran, Co Donegal, +353 (0)71 984 1091; www.turfnsurf.ie
• The Irish Surfing Association’s website has a comprehensive list of surf schools; www.isasurf.ie

SURFING FILMS

Take inspiration from the celluloid surf classics

The Endless Summer (1966)
In what is one of the first surfing movies ever made, famous surf documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown follows Mike Hynson and Robert August around the world in search of the perfect wave. This film is credited with launching the “surf-and-travel” culture.

Big Wednesday (1978)
It may have been a flop when it first came out but Big Wednesday has become a surfing classic. Three Californian surfers (Gary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent and William Katt, above) grow up facing the Vietnam war – and the biggest swell California has seen for years.

Point Break (1991)
Despite his lack of natural surfing ability, FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes undercover to infiltrate a community of surfers believed to be connected to a criminal gang, ‘The Ex-Presidents’. Along the way, he develops a friendship with surfer Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) in one of the ultimate ‘buddy’ movies.

Blue Crush (2002)
The movie that launched the career of actress Kate Bosworth centres on a group of female surfers whose first love is the sport. When ambitious Anne Marie Chadwick (Bosworth) tries to find room for a love life as well as her competitive surfing, she has her work cut out for her.

Step Into Liquid (2003)
Dana Brown, son of Bruce, carries on the family tradition with a documentary that includes footage of some of the largest waves in the world at Cortes Bank, a chain of underwater mountains off the coast of San Diego, USA.

Waveriders (2008)
A documentary film charting a group of surfers as they prepare to ‘tow surf’ a giant swell of waves at Mullaghmore, north-west Ireland. From the maker of Eye Of The Storm (2002), about two surfers riding monsters off south Donegal, Waveriders won the Audience Award at the 2008 Dublin International Film Festival.