Surfing Travel

Northern Ireland – Going off the surf map

While Ireland and its coldwater waves have been getting increasingly more coverage in the surfing trades in recent years, little attention has been paid to neighboring Northern Ireland, a piece of land that takes up roughly 1/5th of the island’s land mass. We have seen the Malloy brothers and others working to foster and strengthen transnational ties between the two Irelands via surfing, but Northern Ireland as a surfing destination has been largely ignored. It’s easy to understand why, as the north facing coastline provides a lesser swell window than its all direction facing southern neighbor. Don’t be fooled by the sheltered coastline, as Northern Ireland can get serious juice when the North Atlantic stirs up.

Northern Ireland also offers a variety of breaks and provides a unique cultural perspective for those willing to venture away from the western coast of Ireland. Fall and Winter are the prime season for surfing in the North as the Atlantic storms pound away on the Northern Irish coastline during that time. Bring along appropriate rubber for the considerably colder water, and don’t be surprised by crowds at the better mapped out spots. Plenty of maps and travel information are available online with a bare minimum of searching. As always, be respectful and courteous to local surfers, and be sure to remember that Northern Ireland is its own separate country. Make some local friends, and they might just take you to a few of the better, lesser known spots. As always, get off the surf map and go explore.

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