Odin Villarreal — Photo: Kevin Doyle
Regional Report — Ireland
Ireland: A Golden Era
A Irish surfing has had a strong few months. From European titles to JQS results in Casablanca, from heavy slab charging in Clare to a new generation of grom talent coming through Lahinch, Bundoran and Tramore, the depth of what's happening across Ireland right now is hard to ignore. Ollie O'Flaherty has been in the thick of it, and here's his latest dispatch on a scene that's never looked stronger.
Irish surfing has hit new heights. Right around the country there are surfers ripping in two-foot beachbreaks, making European finals and pulling into 20-foot kegs.
From Conor Maguire and Gearóid McDaid to Odin Villarreal, Josh Karbus and Shay O'Sullivan, surfing on our shores is well and truly in a golden era.
What's equally exciting is the rise in female surfing. Isabella O'Reilly's second place at the Under-14 European Championships was one of the standout results of the year, while Hazel Rafferty continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in heavy waves at just 14 years old. Across every discipline, from high-performance shortboarding to longboarding and big-wave surfing, the next generation is coming through stronger than ever.
What's exciting is that it's not just happening in heavy water. The competitive side of Irish surfing has never been stronger either. Gearóid is now a European Champion, while Josh recently finished second at the Pro Junior in Casablanca. The standard across every age group seems to be rising year after year.
I checked in around the country to see what's been happening.
North West
Tom Murphy — Photo: Pat O'Sullivan
One of the standout performers on the Irish junior scene over the last few years has been Tom Murphy. Based in Bundoran, Tom continues to push his surfing to new levels both in and out of competition.
"It's been the best winter up here since I've been a surfer. Our house pretty much became a hostel for the lads from around the country who came up to score waves.
Rory and I have been getting comfortable out at some of the main slabs around Bundoran and Mullaghmore, while also making the odd trip down to Clare to have a go at the Cliffs. The big-wave guys have all been really supportive and willing to help us along.
When it hasn't been barrelling, we've been training hard and running mock heats with the crew. The amount of groms in the water and the standard of surfing is continuing to rise, which is great to see.
We've started to form a little group of surfers from up here and around the country to compete in the WSL Pro Juniors. Having a crew around you definitely helps push everyone forward.
A huge highlight from the winter was Isabella finishing second in the Under-14 European Championships. That was an incredible result and shows the level of talent coming through in Irish surfing right now.
Looking ahead, the Euro Juniors are going to be held in Bundoran this September, which is really exciting. It's a massive opportunity for Irish surfers and for everyone involved in the local surf community."
With surfers like Tom leading the charge and major events arriving on Irish shores, the future is looking bright in the North West.
West Coast
Conor Moroney — Photo: George Karbus
Here in Lahinch and Co Clare, we had a mega second half of the season.
For me, the standout performances at Aileens came from Callum Curtin, Conor Moroney and Odin Villarreal. The lads stepped up when it mattered and put in some serious performances. A mention has to go to Joshy too, who has quietly been honing his backside tube-riding skills on the cleaner, more perfect days.
At the other end of the scale, the same familiar faces have continued to push the level at Riley's. Josh, Conor and Odin have all gone to another level and are now setting the benchmark out there.
Hazel Rafferty
One of the coolest developments has been the rise of female surfing along the west coast. Sadie Shaloo, Ruby Fanning, Hazel Rafferty, Saibh McCullough and Natalie Karbus have all been absolutely charging and taking on some heavy slabs.
The standout for me has been Hazel Rafferty. At just 14 years old, her approach to left-hand slabs has been incredible. Having coached her since the beginning, she's always been willing to commit in the most critical sections. She's helping pave the way for the next generation and it's inspiring to watch.
"At just 14 years old, her approach to left-hand slabs has been incredible."
On the contest front, the Junior Tour arrived in Lahinch and produced some brilliant surfing throughout the divisions.
U14 Boys
1. Tola Rice
2. Django McPhail
3. Matthew McSharry
4. Jake Callaghan
U16 Boys
1. Dylan Brangwyn
2. Albin Parle Fahrlin
3. Cathal Bennett
4. Xavier O'Rourke
U16 Girls
1. Isabella O'Reilly
2. Hazel Rafferty
3. Saibh McCullough
4. Elodie Blount
U18 Boys
1. Rory Murphy
2. Shay O'Sullivan
3. Páraic McSharry
4. Alfie Corcoran
Boys Longboard
1. David Fanning
2. Hugh Downey
3. Joshua Roberts
4. Gavin Downey
Josh Karbus — Photo: Pat O'Sullivan
A final massive shout-out has to go to Josh Karbus for his runner-up finish at the JQS Junior Pro Casablanca.
At just 16 years old, competing with and beating some of the best junior surfers in Europe is a serious achievement. Josh's combination of style and technical ability saw him win his way through every heat to reach the final, eventually finishing as runner-up.
Also flying the flag at the JQS Junior Pro Casablanca was Maria Butler, competing for West Coast Surf Club.
TBay News
Shay O'Sullivan — Photo: Kevin Doyle
The TBay Performance Squad recently wrapped up its annual competition series. Each surfer's best four results from six events counted towards the overall standings.
Girls Performance Squad
1. Ruby Fanning
2. Ella Dooly
3. Giorgi Herterich
4. Ella Moore
Boys Performance Squad
1. Shay O'Sullivan
2. Alfie Corcoran
3. David Fanning
4. Keelan Maloney
A huge congratulations to Ruby Fanning and Shay O'Sullivan, who have now claimed the overall title for the third consecutive year.
The Joe Roddy Trophy for exceptional effort and dedication went to Ella Dooly, a brilliant example of how consistency and hard work pay off over time.
A big shout-out as well to Shay O'Sullivan and Alfie Corcoran, who recently competed at the JQS Casablanca. Both surfers put in strong performances and will be following the tour around Europe this season, so keep an eye on their progress.
TBay can't be mentioned without talking about its longboarders. Tom Breen, Wes Hannigan, David Fanning, John Twomey and Ella Dooly have all been surfing incredibly well.
Inspired by Tom's European final appearance last year and another runner-up finish this season, the standard continues to rise. Ella continues to fly the flag for female longboarding and has become one of the standout performers coming out of Tramore.
TBay is producing some of Ireland's best longboarders and remains the backbone of the Irish Team longboard team setup.
