LOCAL HEROS
Big wave surfers throng to the waves of this headland from around the world. A good forecast will bring the swell hunters from Australia, South Africa, Hawaii even. The attraction of the challenge travels far, but as long term student of the wave, Cornwall based cameraman Mikey Corker sagely notes, “The best days I’ve had in Ireland have been completely by chance, never forecast.”
I’m still watching the waves, I watch more than I surf or windsurf here because there’s always something to learn …or fear. The best chance of scoring these ‘never forecast days’ comes from long term residence rather than flying in. Hence the headland today is populated by the talented group of locals and ex-pats who live here or nearby, know this wave’s nuances and surf it with technicality and bravado in equal high measure. Most of them are names not lit up in neon marketing banners, surfing this wave well requires more than a sticker. It’s dedication to sit through weeks and months of waiting to maybe have a chance of an incredible ride. That sort of reward is hard to explain in terms of contest results or exposure to a sponsor, it’s more personal than that. So to supplement their surfing deals, people like County Clare charger Peter Conroy have regular jobs, or in Peter’s case, not so regular as he is a fireman. American turned local Dylan Stott is a teacher, when he’s not tucking into massive barrels on his backhand. Peter and Dylan are integral to the community of wave riders at Mullaghmore for not just their inspiring surfing but as they also assist in providing safety cover through the ‘Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club’, which Peter helped co-found. The club was born in 2006 out of a desire to help protect those who surf big waves around the coast of Ireland and develop safety in the sport. Since then they have guarded many sessions around the coast and work with emergency services on exercises, proactively honing skills and best practice procedures. It’s a far cry from the devil may care attitude that is stereotyped onto big wave surfing but it is becoming more common practice around the big wave surfing world and rightly so given the risks involved at Mullaghmore and the other entries on the inertia.com’s list of dangerous waves – Jaws / Pe’ahi, Nazaré, Teahupo’o and Cortes Bank.
