“Maybe 2 Out Of 10 Are Makeable”

Hairy.

Irish surfing is hardcore. Freezing, huge, remote, scary, and beautiful. 

Ireland arguably had its best season of big waves this season. Between the Cliffs of Moher, Aileens, Mullaghmore (how good are these Gaelic names), Laurens, and PMPA, a handful of Irish madmen took to the sea in some incredibly spooky Atlantic purple blobs. 

28-year-old Red Bull athlete Conor Maguire has been surfing Irish big waves since he was 11. This year, his performances in heavy water earned him 3 big wave award nominations. Performer of the Year, Ride of the Year, and Biggest Tow.

Calling Big wave surfers madmen might be slightly disingenuous. Clearly, it’s as calculated as it can be, they have multiple safety teams, choppers, spotters, comms, vests etc.

But the fact of the matter is that if you fall off, you’re likely fucked. Avoiding some kind of twisted, ragdolling, whip-lashing, reef-mincing, head trauma when waves are twenty-foot-plus is near impossible. Distal limbs flung in all directions with thousands of miles of Atlantic sea behind it. 

Perhaps calculated madness is fairer. 

Conor is also joined by the likes of Patch Wilson, Matt Smith, Tom Gillespie, Dan Skajarowski, Julian Farmer, Cian Logue, Aaron Dees, and Yann Mestelan, and lone Aussie-expat Noah Lane. 

Watch a season’s worth of peppering here.