A Personal Diary Account of the Surfari by Brian Britton

7th – 15th October 2006.

May 2004.

3.00am at Bundoran UDC Chairman Sean McEniff’s Charity Ball, BB says to Roci Allen “Do you know we should honour the deceased original patrons of Irish surfing who have just passed on, Dr. Hugh O’Brien Moran and Vinnie Britton (Harry Evans, founding member of the Irish Surfing Association passed on in 2005 and was added to the Patrons). Let’s do that by inviting all of those who visited Ireland in the 60s and 70s to revisit in October 2006 and celebrate 40 years of Irish surfing which started way back in 1966”. Roci’s reply to Brian Britton on the night “Shure we don’t see much of each other these days and if only the two of us turn up we’ll share a couple of pints together. Anybody after that’s a bonus!” With that the idea was borne and two years of planning, organising, communicating, spreading the word, tracking down old friends followed.

Saturday 7th October 2006.

Arrive on the promenade in Lahinch mid afternoon. Counted nearly 100 in the water. Many surf schools out enjoying the waves before the highest tides forecast for 18 years. Quick meeting with the documentary crew who are going to record the Patrons Pilgrimage for posterity intermingling footage from the 60s and 70s with modern day footage and observations.

Find a bar to watch Cyprus VS Ireland and a tap on the shoulder “is that you Brian” and it’s Brian Cusack, Wally Fogarty, Sam McCrum, surfers from the West Coast Surf Club, not seen in the flesh since Eurosurf ’72. Discovered that a gang had come down from Limerick who hadn’t surfed for 30 years who just wanted to relive the early days when flower power was at its height, we were all regarded as hippies and every bar in Lahinch turned us away apart from Kennys. Ireland’s disaster in Cyprus quickly forgotten and the old stories started.

9.30pm walking up the street with Roci and Dave Nagle from Cork explaining to Antoinette what surfing 40 years ago meant. Into Kennys Bar, where it started on the West Coast, and there’s 35 Pilgrims already gathered. Kevin Cavey, the grandfather of Irish surfing, who represented Ireland in San Diego in 1966 at the World Games, founder members of the Irish Surfing Association, Roger Steadman and Tony Gleeson, both of whom had flown in from Kenya, joining Johnny Lee from Achill. Patron’s son, Hugh O’Brien Moran, an Inter-County winner in Rossnowlagh in 1969, Tom O’Brien from Cork who represented Ireland at the World Deaf Games, International Surfers Alan Rich from Australia, who competed at the Irish International in Rossnowlagh in 1968, Chops Lascelles, regular visitor since 1974 and Steve Daniel, the English team junior at Eurosurf ’72, the year no other international sporting team visited Ireland due to the Troubles, Clare locals Noel Walsh, Colm Toner and Dave Moynan and Eurosurf ’87 & ’97 Master Champion Grant Robinson. The vibes were good. The Blues Band played the Beach Boys. This has the makings of a good week.

Sunday, 8th October 2006.

Pilgrims drifting in around 11.00am or after to the prom at Lahinch beach. When you’re grey haired with a bit of age and a few extra inches on the belt, you have a fair idea when to take your one surf on the good conditions, not two or three surfs all over the place like the grommets. Dave and Greg Kenny from Tramore in great form after a brilliant night. Have already changed their plans and now heading for the North West and Rossnowlagh mid week. Reports of perfect overhead waves at Bartra which one or two of the Pilgrims try. However, mid afternoon the first surf for the legends takes place in Moy Bay before moving to a lovely right a few hundred yards away at Shit Creek. 5 surfers take the water who haven’t been surfing together since 1968, Roger Steadman, Kenya (71), Johnny Lee, Achill (70), Kevin Cavey, Bray (65), Alan Rich, Byron Bay (60) and youngster Brian Britton, Rossnowlagh (56). Two hours later tired limbs but a clear head.

Warm memories at Kennys Art Gallery that evening with old Irish footage of Doughmore, Eurosurf ’72 and a road trip from Tramore to Lahinch to Rossnowlagh in a Ford Zephyr in the late 60s. How come Roci, Grant and the West Coast boys all had moustaches and look at those Jimmi Hendrix hairstyles? The grommets don’t believe the size of the boards, no leashes and surfing in our football jerseys.

Monday, 9th October 2006

Massive swell. Highest seas for 18 years. Blown out. Let’s explore before we consider going for a surf. Convoy heads for the €150m Greg Norman Golf Course development, Doonbeg, to try and find the surfers right of way across the fourteenth fairway. Turned away at 3 entrances before getting in a back road. Memories of legal battles being fought, supported by The Surfrider Foundation and the European Surfing Federation to get the right of way. Surfers are not against development but co-existence should prevail. This is the pristine Doughmore featured in the 1973 footage last night, now closed in!

Later that evening, sitting on a desolated part of the Cliffs of Moher, being interviewed for the documentary “The Silver Surfari” we ask ourselves was it more dangerous back then? Were we the mavericks 30 or 40 years ago going out on undiscovered waves with poor equipment, where if you lost your board you had no leash and had to swim a torturous 300 or 400 yards in? Look down from the cliffs and see “Aileens”, the newly discovered 40 foot wave, where you are towed in on a jet ski and towed back out again. Life is relative. We were innocent but surfing is an adventure sport, which like all adventure sports carries some danger.

Highlight of the day. Tom Frawley’s Bar in Lahinch, their equivalent to Brennans in Bundoran and our overseas visitors doubled up in knots listening to the story on the RTE news about the two half cut guards fighting with each other outside the US Embassy. 86 years old Tom welcomes yours truly “You’re from Donegal. There’s great surf up there in Rossnowlagh. Why do you want to come all the way down to Lahinch?” and then he starts to name all of the golfers from Donegal Golf Club who were regulars over the years, many of whom have now gone to their eternal reward like Ross Hamilton and Kevin Britton. Special moment.

Tuesday 10th October 2006

Early morning offshore winds, brilliant sunshine, perfect swell and the sons of Patrons Dr. Hugh O’Brien Moran and Vinnie Britton paddling out together for the first wave. “They must be looking down on us with conditions like this. Let’s take the first wave for them.” Niall O’Brien Moran went left. BB went right. Section after section just opened up. A class ride and a perfect moment. How many more of those on this trip? 20 minutes later Kevin Cavey to BB “Forget the one man one wave rule. Let’s take the next wave together like the old days.” Drop in. Kevin stays high. BB goes low. Together they carve the face of the wave. Kevin singing. BB hooting. Another perfect moment on a mellow morning in Lahinch with just the Pilgrims in the water.

Time for the Surfari to begin. Halima, Roger Steadman’s wife who is Kenyan, explains that the word “Surfari” is actually a Swahili word in her native tongue for “journey”. Let the journey begin and show the visitors and indeed some of the Irish surfers parts of Ireland they haven’t seen or taken the time to discover in their early years because of the draw of the surf spots. The Burren. Through Connemara past the Twelve Pins. Clifden.

On every journey there comes a special feast, usually when unexpected. Abbeyglen Castle was the location. The wine flowed and the music started. Kevin sang an alternative version of Galway Bay. Hughie did a Gospel chant. Antoinette followed with Danny Boy and then Niall let rip with his repertoire of Credance Clearwater Revival numbers. Other guests joining in. This is like some of those memorable nights instigated by the Irish at World Surfing Games in Koolangata, Rio, Puerto Rico, Durban. The Irish will always produce a party for their visitors, who hadn’t seen the like before.

Wednesday 11th October 2006

Surf reports indicate today will have the worst waves of the week but the weather charts are unbelievable for the rest of the week. However the sun is beaming and the landscape is everychanging. Drive through Leenane, the beautiful Delphi valley, explore Westport before introducing Alan Rich, Councillor and surfer from Ballina, Lennox Heads, Queensland, to the Ballina Town Council where twinning discussions take place.

Some of the Irish meet up with Keith Duggan, Irish Times, who broke his teeth as a cub reporter doing local surfing championships reports for the Donegal Democrat in his native Ballyshannon when still in short pants. Keith has many memories of those days and quickly gets the old guys talking. Legend travelling surfer, Kevin Naughton, recalls his first visit to Ireland in the early 70s and quickly the discussion moves to the “family of surfing”. It turns out Kevin was second cousin to the O’Brien Morans from Tramore and his mother went to school in Galway with Mary Britton from Rossnowlagh who brought the first surf boards to Donegal. How strange is this connection to two of the original families in Irish surfing.

The surfari numbers are growing. The Causeway Coast lads are starting to arrive, Dave Govan, Bo Vance, Alan Duke, John Boomer. Tiki Tim from Devon and Fluff from Wales join up and Stan Burns is rumoured to be emerging from his lair in Dromahair. Conor Britton from Rossnowlagh and Dodo McLoughlin from Strabane arrive but their priority tonight is can the Irish team improve their performance against the Czech Republic. The others sit by the fire and talk and talk and talk and talk……

Thursday 12th October 2006

The swell has hit. The Pilgrims have brought the waves. The Patrons are looking down. Easkey right in full flow and it’s one longboard after another. Barry Britton going down the line shaking the water out of his beard. Craig Peterson filming surfing mate for 35 years Kevin Naughton. The Tramore crew enjoying the waves they don’t get at T-Bay. CB spied waxing his board. The vibes just get more and more mellow. Stop off at the Beach Bar in Aughris for soup and a pint. Aughris was the surf spot which attracted the Pilgrims 40 years ago, nearly a decade before Easkey was discovered.

On to Strandhill and the Strand Bar for another session of old classic surf footage, an RNLI collection follows before another night of music, some ex members of Dervish, being joined strumming by some of the Silver Surfers and a few more pints. Jaysus, the training was worth it! “Bingo, three more pints of Guinness, please”

Friday 13th October 2006

An epic morning. Not a hint of superstition about. The legendary secret spot of the North West Coast delivers and a surf session to end all surf sessions ensues. Steve Daniel can’t believe the quality of the wave as he takes drop in after drop in. Dave Nagle and Tom Brien have now rejoined from Cork and are delighted to share a wave where normally six is a crowd but now there is three times that with all the pilgrims in. Fleeting looks at Pampas, the Peak in Bundoran and Tullan, before arriving at the spot where it all began in the North West back in 1966 – Rossnowlagh Beach.

91 Pilgrims sit down for the Patrons Pilgrimage Gala Dinner in the Sandhouse. The food is eaten quickly as everybody wants to get to the highlight of the evening, the roving mike being carried from table to table by BB, anticipating the questions to be asked. Bo Vance recalls how Charlie Adjie discovered Crab Island. Tiki Tim talks about the protest at the Smirnoff in Easkey. Roger Steadman recalls meeting the young Kevin Cavey at the Boat Show in Dublin in 1966, just after Nelson’s Pillar was blown up and together venturing out to spread the surfing gospel to the Causeway Coast, Rossnowlagh, Lahinch, Tramore. Derek Musgrave talks about the dark days of surfing in the mid-70s when founder fathers temporarily emigrated. The Causeway Coast boys again cause some agitation just as they always did back in the early days. Rod Sumpter talks about his new feature film and Dodo McLoughlin on behalf of the Rossnowlagh Surf Club welcomed everybody to Donegal. Ann Cavey spoke up for the girls and Kevin recalled his early dreams and how they became a reality.

BB proposes the toast to the Patrons who are no longer with us. Harry Evans, mentor to the young BB and the Surfing Administrator who started the chain which led to current ISA President, Skeach Kelly. Dr. Hugh O’Brien Moran’s support and enthusiasm for the young people developing surfing in Tramore. Vinnie Britton’s encouragement and no nonsense approach to put surfing on the market in Donegal. All were recalled. Vivienne Evans and Hugh O’Brien Moran reply. Emotions are high. BB sits down.

“This week has been memorable in more ways than one. I think it has brought me personal exorcism from the incredible hurt felt at the time of the split vote in Irish surfing 5 years ago over the World Surfing Games. The surfing family is one and I feel part of it again. Jaysus, now they are talking about me. Skeach has just said that the Irish Surfing Association have nominated me for the “National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport”. I am choked. Look at this board. Zoe is presenting it to me. Everybody is standing clapping. 40 years of memories come tumbling back. I am honoured to be recognised by my peers and my three surfing children Neil, John and Naomi are here to see it.”

Legendary Irish surfing judge Stan Burns finishes off the night on a saxophone with six brilliant musicians from Sligo. Surfers Bar is jammed. Many more Silver Surfers have now reappeared from the Lahinch weekend and new ones are arriving all the time. Patsy O’Kane, Willie Britton, the Evans Family, Martin Lloyd, Kevin Nagle, Willie Parkes, the Welsh trio of Mike Cunningham, Dave Friar and Albert Harris, Bob and Gwynn Haslock from England, John Scott, Terry McLoughlin and the list goes on. The craic is mighty.

Saturday 14th October 2006

Another perfect day for waves. Keith Duggan has produced an excellent article in the Irish Times which has really captured the Pilgrimage. We let the young ones who took up surfing in the 80s and 90s and the grommets enjoy the Intercounties. Full tide is at 12.00 and it’s the time the Pilgrims have chosen for their Expression Session – take over the best waves on Rossnowlagh Beach from the competition and show the young ones just what the Silver Surfers can do. Let’s line up with the old boards. 34 are fit enough to do so. We stand for 10 minutes as a tribute to those we have shared waves with for the last 40 years. Recalling those that have passed on Clive Davies, Pat Connick and our Patrons. It’s emotional. Those watching have lumps in their throat. It’s a moment in time never to be repeated. Then we turn and all enter the water as one big family. Just one wave. What is it? Ten seconds looking down the line, dropping in and feeling the buzz, making the section, hooting. Only us surfers know the feeling. Lets do this for as many more years as God allows. The crowds are cheering each wave the Silver Surfers take. The hairs stand on the back of your neck. We never knew we were making history 40 years ago, yet in a strange way we were. We are the pioneers of surfing in Ireland!

As Robert Kennedy famously said “Some people see things as they are and say Why. I dream things that never were and say Why Not”.

Postscript:

70 surfers took part in the Patrons Pilgrimage and Surfing Surfari to commemorate our late Patrons, Vincent Britton, Dr. Hugh O’Brien Moran and Harry Evans and to celebrate 40 years of surfing in Ireland. Ireland Surfari Productions recorded the event, which they are making into an hour long TV documentary “The Silver Surfari”.

Brian Britton
15th October 2006

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