3. DHS - Surfing and Donegal Bay

Aug 05, 2021, 03:35 PM

Shrine Three: surf's up.
Location: 54.552528, -8.211036
Speaker: Dr. Easkey Britton, author of Saltwater in the Blood
 
Theme: gathering to experience the full wonder of the ocean.

Donegal Bay made the headlines in recent years for having a 20 metre wave off its coast - the highest recorded in Irish waters. The great surf beaches of the bay are Mullaghmore and Tullan Strand in Bundoran, but for a host of reasons, we're pointing you to somewhere with surf, scenery and safety. Rossnowlagh is a very special long sandy Blue Flag beach in Donegal Bay.

It was here that Tony Blair spent his childhood summers, but that's hardly worthy of making it special. It is the leading shrine in the Republic to good King Billy every 12th of July as over 10,000 commemorate that historic event in a peaceful, family-orientated Orange parade, but no, that's not the reason either. However, say the word 'Rossnowlagh' to a surfer is to get their full respect for Donegal Bay is surfers' paradise with Rossnowlagh having a special place in their hearts for being where surfing in Ireland started but also for its big waves (nearby Tullan Strand in Bundoran has bigger and has managed to get the European Surfing Championships twice in recent years).

In our audio piece, Easkey Britton tells us what makes Rossnowlagh and indeed Donegal Bay special and why surfing and the sea have a pivotal role in both our wellness and that of the planet.

Make sure the unmissable Smuggler's Creek overlooking the beach and the bay or the Sandhouse surfers' bar are factored in after a lazy day here. For over three thousand miles the North Atlantic Drift has carried big waves from the Gulf of Mexico and it is in this glorious bay that they break, most recently garnering worldwide attention for some dream waves that the select few got to ride in nearby Mullaghmore. The nearby Finn McCool surf school will be happy to help out the novice though! URL:Finn Surf

Audio taken from Donegal's Hallowed Sites on the Racontour Archive.
Spotify URL: Donegal's Hallowed Sites playlist on Spotify