Ireland
This is a special chapter
I lived there for a while and I have come back several times. Since I started taking photos I have come back four times and despite the first three times the light and the conditions weren’t too good, the last time we definitely scored.
Being back in the emerald island was a great feeling: finally shooting all those amazing landscapes and coastlines that I always admired during my stay there.
Even if the light and waves weren’t always too great, catching up with some friends and having a few in the real Irish style was a must!
Here is an article abstract that I wrote for a magazine a few years ago that sums up perfectly what Ireland represents for me.
I lazily open my eyes and I realise that the car’ windows are full of condensation.
I scratch away the cold water from the windows and I suddenly wake up, astonished, incredulous. A perfect blue wall right-hander is peeling in front of me. None is out, none is around. I rapidly jump off the sleeping-bag and open the car’ door. Outside approximately 5 degree, typical winter Irish sun and a nice smell of cow-shit are already surrounding the entire area. That’s the beginning of another glorious Irish surf day!
Greg was still snoring under his sleeping-bag; no way to weak up that lazy Scottish. In the meanwhile a car just parked beside me. A guy already wearing a wetsuit jumped off the car and ran to the shore ready to surf.
I rapidly started to take my equipments. My wetsuit was still wet, cold and almost frost from the past evening session. Not a nice feeling. Anyway, watching the waves and the guy paddling out I realised the real size of the blue walls.
I was excited and my motivation helped me to think about some tropical place in the world to avoid the terrible feeling to wear something wet at 7 o’clock in the morning with 5 degree.
In the line up I finally comprehended the size of the waves that were certain over-head with a perfect shape. Just myself and a friendly local out in one of the most famous spot of the entire Ireland! Weather was chilly and the smell of cow-shit was filling my lungs, however this was just the small price to pay to surf almost alone perfect waves. This is Ireland!
We stayed in Easky for another night surfing as more as possible. During the day the spot became “crowd” that means twenty surfers out in a wave that could be long enough to satisfy 40 surfers at the same time. This is Ireland! Greg finally woke up, Jon, Eoin and Kevin arrived from Bundoran. We spent the night together camping in the car drinking some cans, trying to do not think about the cold and being focused on the waves that were supposed to be perfect even for the day after. And so it was. Monday morning was another nice wake up. Almost the same size of the day before and perfect right-hander again were peeling in front of us! Game was on again.
Just few years ago some of the local guys discovered a new crazy wave.
Right now is the wave that more than any other wave represents the surf in Ireland. The wave is a crazy slab that breaks under 3 ft of water on a flat reef that during high-tide makes the wave surfable. The place itself is enough to scare you. It is a medium size wild bay surrounded by cliffs with just one small side accessible by feet. From that corner you have to walk on the slippery rocks beside the cliff that every day crumbles more and more, even losing massive rocks. Then in order to surf you have to climb another small cliff and finally you are ready to play with your life and with the violent shore-break. The wave is in front of the shore, just few meters away. It is a short but very intense barrelling wave that sucks water from any direction and violently collapses on the dry reef. No escape in this case too, indeed the take off is just in front of a big rock. Rileys is that kind of wave where you could pay a huge price for every mistake.
One day George and Katy brought me there. We parked the car; we walked on the cow-shit for almost 20 minutes than we cross the bay and marched again for another ten minutes until seeing the wave breaking. It was early morning, the bay faces west, so it was cold, dark and the waves were massive, such and incredible show of mother nature. The situation was absolutely scared in addition we saw something on the side of the rocks just beside the high cliff. We went there to have a look and we realised that it was a cadaver of an horse that apparently fallen down from the top off the cliff just one or two day before and smashed and splattered his body on the rocks just in front of the wave. This mishap made the situation even more dreadful. The noise of the waves breaking on the dry reef was something extraordinary and I suddenly heard an extra weird noise behind me, I turned back and I saw few small parts of the cliff collapsing down, close to the death horse! I felt like there were too many unfriendly elements and I finally decided to stay in the ground that day and avoid a death-killed sessions. I was upset against myself but then when I saw a massive clean up set resetting the line up I commence to feel better. Even a local just exited from the water suggested me to practice with this spot with a more human size and so I cowardly started to forgive myself.
One Kiwi, Damo from Lahinch and few bodyboardes were out. The show was amazing, the bodyboarders really pushed the limits until the tide dropped and the drama happened. One of the bodyboarder took off really deep, he went straight into the barrel in an amazing wave that unfortunately close out in the inside just were the reef is almost dry. The poor guy hit brutally the bottom injuring his leg and harm making him unable to paddle back to the shore and deal with the monstrous shore break. The situation was dramatic. Promptly the other guys that were still out helped him to swim far from the waves in deep water. We called the Coast Guard however the real trouble was that the place is such a wild secret spot that even the Coast Guard didn’t know where it was. So we climbed the north cliff and we commenced to make signs to the Guard Coast boats and helicopter that were crossing just in front of the bay without stopping. Finally we managed to attract their attention and they rescued the guy that waited hours in deep water with a broke arm and leg.
I have been thinking a lot about this crazy session. The price that the experienced bodyboarder paid it could have happen to anyone and especially to myself with no big experience with such a crazy mutant slab. So rationally thinking I was unhappy to miss a session like this but on the other hand I was proud of myself to be able to realise my limit and avoid a clear attempt to suicide myself. However, after practically surfing all the best waves in Ireland I felt that the only missing wave was that one. So the day came. In June I finally had the chance to test myself again. I arrived there in the afternoon ready for the high tide, no wind, perfect glassy condition and none out. The wave was a little bit more than head-high and powerful as usual. I was glad to realise that it wasn’t big but a perfect size to have fun without attempting your own life. I paddled out avoiding the crazy shore break. I let pass two set before taking off on a good one and straight pulled myself into the crystal barrel until the exit.
Ireland is the only place in the earth were you are glad to smell cow-shit that means offshore winds.
It is the only place in the earth where it is still possible to surf ridiculous mental waves alone or with some friendly locals; Ireland is the country where you can find in 80 km coastlines at least 7 world class spots and an infinity of other good quality spots; it is one of the only place in Europe were plenty of secret spots are still hidden and where plenty of other spots are just waiting to be discovered;
the Emerald island is the only place in the world where you will be always welcome in a public house and where you can easily have a chat with some locals, drinking a creamy tasty pint and warm yourself in front of a fire. This is Ireland, this is the Celtic tiger!
