The west coast of Ireland is one of Europe's great treasures. The surf coast of Sligo is a hidden gem on the edge of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, the longest defined coastal driving route in the world at 2,500 kilometres!
Seamus Mc Goldrick is a professional bodyboarder and surf coach from the lively surf village of Strandhill, one of the centres of surfing in Ireland. Seamus is passionate about all things Sligo. Seamus grew up surfing in Strandhill, completed at European and world championships with the Irish surf team before he began travelling the world looking for the perfect wave. In the end, he returned to his favourite place in the world, Strandhill, which lies in the shadow of the mystic mountain of Knocknarea.
Using his skills and talents acquired through a lifetime in the ocean, Seamus set up Sligo Surf Experience surf school to provide a fun and accessible introduction to surfing at Strandhill Beach, Ireland's number one surfing beach. Your friendly Irish Surfing instructor will guide you to the beach and show you how to lie on your board on the sand and 'pop up' to your feet in one, two or three easy steps. Then it is time to jump in the water to experience the thrill of catching your first waves in a safe, fun and structured surfing environment. Don't worry about the cold water, Sligo Surf Experience has a large range of super warm Tiki winter wetsuits that will protect you from the elements for your two hour surf session.
Not a beginner? Seamus also runs intermediate surf sessions for surfers with some previous surf experience.
But the fun doesn't stop there. Seamus will recommend the best local activities for you to explore at Strandhill Beach. Enjoy a health lunch in the trendy Shells Cafe run by surfers Jane and Myles Lambeth. Or relax in a detoxifying seaweed bath – Ireland's original organic spa treatment. Visit Voya Seaweed baths and meet local surfer Neil Walton who will explain the benefits of Seaweed and you can browse the organic range of seaweed based beauty products or enjoy a relaxing massage.
Enjoy lunch in the surfers favourite, The Strand Bar, run by the legendary Byrne brothers who were part of the first generation of Sligo surfers to join the Irish surfing team and compete and win at an international level. Above The Strand Bar is Stoked restaurant run by local champion bodyboarder Shane Meehan. Stoked is the most recommended restaurant in the northwest of Ireland and serves exciting, mouth watering world dishes tapas style.
Sligo has a world famous live music scene and you can check out some of the talent at the regular live music sessions in Strandhill's music hotspots The Strand, The Venue or The Dunes Bar. Seamus is also a local historian who will encourage you to explore the ancient history and heritage of the surrounding area.
Sligo has some of the richest concentrations of neolithic monuments in western Europe. Strandhill rests in the northwestern foothills of the iconic Knocknarea mountain, a major ritual centre for the people of Neolithic Ireland (4000 – 2000 BC). Dominating Knocknarea's sacred summit is Meascán Méadhbha or Maeve's Cairn, which according to local legend is the final resting place of the warrior goddess Queen Maeve. This massive 5000 year old megalithic cairn is sixty metres in diameter and over twelve metres high, it is the largest unopened Neolithic tomb in Ireland thought to conceal a passage tomb, in fact, Meascán Méadhbha, is one of the largest Stone Age monuments to be seen anywhere in Europe.
Text and images courtesy of Seamus Mc Goldrick
Check out the tours with Seamus here: https://www.travelcoup.com/en/tours/county-sligo-b3166611-9f0c-4b84-8fa4-49e4de449eb1
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