The hero 2020 needs.
And by now you have read of Hurricane Epsilon and the “wave” of carnage that it created all across the north-ish Atlantic. Rude fights breaking out in the water at Nazare as gimme-gimme surfers tried to hog all the glory. Poor decisions being made on British shores where heedless tourists were swept out to sea, forcing dramatic rescues from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
But who would have guess that just across St. George’s Channel on that Emerald Isle the politest, most well-mannered big wave surfer in the world would ride that country’s biggest ever wave?
Oh gather your children around so they can grow up in the vein of Conor Maguire.
Conor, like all others, saw the swell approaching and knew it would be singular but did he prepare himself immediately for fame and fortune?
No.
His first concern, according to the local paper, was “…whether it was socially acceptable to go out in the midst of a national lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
“So typical. My main concern was not to offend anyone or put pressure on the hospital system or anything like that. We contacted Sligo county council and got permission to surf, spoke to the coastguard. We had four skis and a paramedic on hand; two spotters on the cliff. We couldn’t have been any more safe, and [it was] the perfect time to take a good crack at it. The original idea was just to have respect for the locals and not to offend anyone. My friends are based in the area and we spoke to a lot of the locals before and they were buzzing people were out there. And the headland was like an amphitheatre; there were cars all the way around. Everyone was in their cars, adhering to Covid protocols, as were we. In the harbour, with the safety briefing, we had masks on and all that stuff. It was pretty professional.”
So thoughtful. Thoughtful in an unheard of way in 2020 and the fates rewarded our hero with the ride of his life.
“You could see it the whole way coming in. In the middle of the bay [Maguire’s jetski tow-in driver] was like: ‘Uhhh, okaaaaay,’ and I thought: ‘Oh fuck.’ Then he just picked me up, did a loop and slung me in like a big pendulum … When I was dropping down, it kind of felt like I was dropping 30 or 40 seconds, I was going and going. The wave itself, it was smooth, man. I felt like butter or something. It was pretty easy … I just kind of stood there [laughs]. But it ended up catching up with me in the end.”
And all those gimme-gimmme surfers at Nazare should be forced to do a politeness course with Conor Maguire so he can learn them the way of peace and prosperity.
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Totally scooped the nazare thing. The miles away footege of nazare managed to make it look uninteresting and tame. Tho its not.
that’s as vote worthy a comment as comments get.
Ireland is gnarly, has the wsl ever put on a big wave event there
he should have done a cutback
No way man
Deans always floating I’m sure but It’s the sane version on his meds.
Thankfully haven’t had any emails from him for a couple of years now but man I actually felt sorry for the Guy.
Where were you a mod?
Good boy
I wrote 2 to Derek and he was all whateva, get lost.
But Dave got all up in Negs face and I was back in.
Ha!!
So 3 cry-time emails it was then.
4 if you include the one I wrote to your mum.
It’s only amusing to us down here… not the first time Derek (and David Lee in this case) have had complaints about me.
It’s part of the job and way more preferable than being stalked across social media or on my work email.
Even had someone chit-chatting with my ex.
I am guessing they will need some time to come up with the size of that wave…it may only be in the 6 foot range…if that Irishman turns out to be a leprechaun…as I suspect
More as the story develops
Two actually.
Hahaha
I must say, I missed the niqab’d wittiness.
Where I am, pretty risky. There are stiff fines, in reality you could get away with it depending where you live, but a lot of the spots you would be surfing with these big swells are sheltered spots which are quite rural. So you would run the risk of being reported to the Gardai (the Irish police) if you didn’t run into them on the way. The lockdown has turned a lot of people into snitches!
Only the Brits could come up with an organisation called “Royal National Lifeboat Institution”!
Question: is Ireland everything that is right with surfing?
Answer: pretty much
To sit in a pub with torrential rain and howling winds outside while drinking Guinness Stout with friends, and talking shit about the last session would make the good days seems all that much more special.
That’s my stereotypical idea of what it’s like to be a surfer in Ireland
Well the pubs have pretty much been closed since March, but yeah that was a pretty accurate description! Sounds romantic, but it’s far from it!
I dig a chick with an Irish accent…a close third behind the Latino and the french
Melanias accent hardens me up
Bravo!
As an American, his concern was a nice reminder that people can care about the welfare of others. It’s so easy to forget that exists.
Very nicely done.
Only the chicks!
Romans?
With the lip clipping him at the end does that put it as a incomplete ride in the eyes of the big wave awards?
He is sponsored by Red Bull, so yes it’s complete! Do you still think he should have been 15 meters deeper?
I think he would’ve wished he was after viewing the footage.
Sorry if I’m coming across all nihilistic but I’ve just been so desensitised by the buzz of jet skis and terrible techno.
If you caught a wave behind the rock at Snapper , came out of the tube at rainbow bay , then got clipped , would it be incomplete ? … he successfully surfed it a very long way only to be kissed by a lacy filigree ….. as if nature , even though he survived the womb , gave him a a clip to the head with her clitoris , just to show him who was boss .
What I think doesn’t matter, I’m serious as to whether it can be categorised in the big wave awards?
I only saw the video taken from the channel , but I suppose if he disappears , comes out with control , and then gets clipped in the head by the end section , then it should be a make ? Depends on the big wave judging vibe this year …..
There is a 5km lockdown here, aside from a few exceptions including “elite and professional sports”. So in actual fact any pro surfer could have come here and ridden those waves, but your typical average cunt surfer (myself included) aren’t allowed venture more than 5km from home. Stupid laws, but very decent of him to be concerned about looking like a cunt (which he doesn’t). Delighted it’s an Irish surfer that got the biggest wave ever there! Not to be pedantic but it’s the Irish Sea that separates Ireland from Great Britain, and St George’s Channel that separates Great Britain from France!
Congrats Jimmy Nietzsche …. You guys have come so far ,since I was there in 97 , when Richie Fitz was owning P Point . Sorry you could not surf but at least it was one of your own and not some horrible STRIKE MISSION TEAM coming to steal your waves , women and weather …. ok not the weather .
Yeah congrats Jimmy! This wave shits all over Naz for intenseness!
Well I can’t claim any personal credit, but it’s nice. It’s pretty incredible being on that headland when the wave is breaking. It breaks maybe 100 meters offshore, and when the white water hits the small cliff you can feel the earth shake. It’s been years since I watched it. The truth is there are lots of good corners where you can surf when Mullaghmore is breaking. The place is probably more famous for the IRA killing of “Lord” Mountbatten, in the early 1980s, along with two children on a boat.
Shit, you can actually learn something on BG – I didn’t know that! Its funny (well it’s not funny) how from my side of the world “The Troubles” have disappeared into the mists of time, when the land of James Joyce was THE ground zero hot spot. I remember as a kid it was an every night news item with something horrifying going on. This could be a dumb question, Jimmy is it still culturally lingering in the back ground like the Civil War in the US?
The troubles didn’t really happen in the Republic, there were some instances such as the Dublin Monaghan bombings, but almost all the atrocities you would have heard of was in either Northern Ireland or in England. I can’t speak about Northern Ireland but my impression is that it is still fairly split on sectarian grounds. In the Republic, it’s a little bit forgotten about. But the main opposition party now are Sin Fein, which is the political wing of the IRA. In my opinion, they are a sinister bunch of National Socialists. The government in power are inept and useless, but I will take them and their stupid lockdown laws over Sin Fein any day of the week. Obviously when you are talking about politics, it’s only a personal opinion, and perhaps one that is not widely shared. The demographics in Northern Ireland are getting interesting, the projections are that there will be a nationalist (Irish) majority in a few years, this along with Brexit may usher in the prospect of a United Ireland within the decade. If that can be done peacefully is a question that is very troubling to consider! Also we are coming up on the centenary of a lot of extremely charged historical events.
Thanks Jimmy – I appreciate your enlightening reply!
Our family in Northen California traded houses with a family in London on Kings Road for the summer in the seventies when I was a kid. A bus stop that we used every day got blown up by the IRA, but missed us.
Lord Mounty.. when lobster potting goes wrong.
Personally this would have been a very convenient excuse not to go surfing on this particular day!