The Irish Surf Film Festival will showcase the immense talent that is on offer both in terms of surfing and the documentation of surfing in Ireland! Find out what's in store for you in Galway this weekend here...
Now in its third year, The Irish Surf Film Festival takes place in Galway on the 14th and 15th of November, with a free opening night upstairs in Electric, and the main event on the 15th of November in the Town Hall Theatre. Get your tickets for the main event HERE.
For many years, there was no such event in Ireland and so every achievement, film, and photo of this electrifying sport inevitably ended up on Instagram as its final resting place. The festival is a community-lead project to have an annual event where surfers, filmmakers, and the wider public can get together with a large cinema screen and a crowd to do justice to the talent and achievements of the wave riders and people who document wave riding in Ireland! The core purpose is to have a dignified platform for the surf community in Ireland, to be proud of their work and their waves, and to inspire other people!
At The Irish Surf Film Festival, there are three main competitions:
- Short Film: The short film competition is for the filmmakers in the community. There is a prize worth €1000 for the best film. The judges are Mickey Smith, Mia Mullarkey, James Skerrit, and Cain Kilcullen
- Wave of the Year: This is for the riders! There are 7 categories including; Paddle, Jetski, tow surf, Women's, Bodyboard, and Under 18 boys and girls. There is a €500 prize for each category and the competition is Judged by Nathan Florence, who was recently voted the Best Surfer in the World and has ridden some of the best waves of his life at the Cliffs of Moher!
- Photo Competition: This is for the photographers in the community. There is a €1000 prize for the best photo. The theme for the competition is based on words in Irish for different types of waves or wave effects. In 2023 the theme was "Buacán", a word for when two waves collide head on and create an explosion. Last year the photo competition theme was "Farraige cháite" which is what is referred to as the spray off the top of a wave when the wind catches it. This year the word is "Loinnir" (pronounced "lunner") which captures a dual meaning: the literal glimmer of sunlight across the water’s surface, and the figurative sense of excitement, a spark of giddiness or delight seen in the glint of the eye.
Tom Gillespie has been a surfer and bodyboarder for his whole life. "I know all of the people in the community through competitions and surfing together over the years, so I felt I was in a great position to start the festival. In my 'day job' I am an environmental economist consultant and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Galway. I work remotely full time from Lahinch in Clare. Our team consists of Joao Tudella, Eimear O'Sullivan, and Julia Carlsson."
"What I love about the photo competition is the connection back to everyone who uses the coastline, not just surfers. Waves have enchanted people on the west coast of Ireland for thousands of years before anyone rode a surfboard on them, and I feel that it is somehow reflected in these words."
You'll find loads more information on their website, Instagram, and YouTube.
The festival's primary sponsors are Finisterre and Yeti. There is also support from the Galway City Council Arts Office. FairSeas Ireland provide the cash prize for the photo competition and Firewire Surfboards, Florence Marine X, and Cord Surfboards support the under18 Wave of the year Category.
