Waveriders

Following the success of his previous 2003 film Eye of the Storm, Irish director Joel Conroy has returns once again to the world of international surfing. His new film Wave Riders provides both a well researched insight into the foundation of the sport and an exhilarating rollercoaster ride with some of the sports greatest exponents. The meticulous charting of the origins of the sport starts with an unexpected revelation that it was the son of an Ulsterman, George Freeth who re-introduced the ancient Polynesian art of wave riding in Hawaii at the start of the 20th century after it had been stamped out by missionaries. The film traces how Freeth went on to transform and popularise the sport in California where he became the world’s first lifeguard.

At the core of the film is the journey of a cast of top Irish and Irish American surfers as they trace an unexpected Irish connection to surfing and strive to meet the latest challenge of big wave tow surfing in Ireland. The story brings us back to Ireland where top surfer Richard Fitzgerald from Bundoran and UK surf champion, Gabe Davies, extol the virtues of relatively unexplored Irish surf destinations. They link up with world champion Kelly Slater and Irish American superstar surfers such as pioneering soul surfer Kevin Naughton and the renowned Malloy brothers to ride some of the most exciting surf Ireland has to offer north and south of the Irish border. The story climaxes with their attempt to ride a big wave off the west coast of Ireland using the newly introduced technique of tow surfing.

*Director Joel Conroy and producer Margo Harkin will attend the screening.