Trip to Clare. Paddys Day!

     Trip to Clare St. Patricks Day!

(all photos taken by Jack Clohesssy)

It had been an interesting few days leading up to this trip. 3 time bodyboarding world champion had been in town and was surfing up in the cliffs on Saturday the 14^th of March. I found out at about 5 o clock that evening after I returned from a surf myself. I read a message a friend of mine Tom had sent me that read “Come up and watch us surf the cliffs this evening, Ben Player will be there!” I checked the time, it was 5:05 on a cold afternoon. I know myself there was no chance of me getting up to Clare in time to see one of my heroes in person. I was devastated. I text one of my friends Tadhg who lives up there as I knew he would be at the cliffs and asked him would he mind trying getting me an autograph. I was sitting at home on my coach sickened that one of my heroes was 2 hours away from me and I wasn’t with him. 1 hour passed and as it approached 6:20 my phone rang. Tadhg’s name appeared on the screen. I answered and he told me about how he had got Bens autograph for me! I couldn’t believe it! I was so pumped that BEN PLAYER had signed ME a young Irish bodyboarder from Cork an autograph! Then all of a sudden I heard voices in the background of the call and Tadhg told me to stay on the line for two minutes, then an Australian accent spoke through the phone and I knew straight away it was Ben! We had a quick chat and agreed to try get a surf together on Paddy’s day! I was shaking after the call. I just couldn’t believe such a legend of the sport had picked up the phone and said my name! It was definitely one of the stand out moments of my bodyboarding lifetime!

The cliffs looked beautiful that morning.

  On St. Patricks day my friend Cian and I set off to Clare at 6:00 in the morning. Our plan was to just search for waves until about 2 o clock when we were going to hit Rileys. A very heavy, shallow slab down past Lahinch. Our search for waves had went well and we had found a good few nice spots but didn’t get in anywhere as we didn’t want to be late for Rileys! We met up with two top class boogers, Tom and Seamus and ploughed on to Rileys. When we turned up it was pumping but it looked pretty big. At least double over head on the sets. Anther crowd of lads turned up including Johnny, Clem, Conor and Barry. We all decided it was best to just head down and have a look. We weren't sure if it was going to be surfable as there were a lot of closeouts coming in!  After about a half an hour walk we reached the wave and our fears came true, it was deadly shallow, dry on some of them and a lot of closeouts. We looked for a while as a couple of the lads paddled out but decided it wasn’t the day. I felt it was too big for my first time to surf the place. The picture I have here of it makes it look like the most perfect day ever but I can assure you that it was far from it. That was about the only perfect one that came in!

Cian and I bailed out and decided we might have enough time to try get a surf in at a slab near Spanish point. We arrived to see head to head and a half high little barrels and ramps. I got a pretty memorable wave were I pulled in to a barrel, came out and then pulled off a substantial enough roll! The tide then got too low for that spot so Cian and I got out of there and stayed in our suits and drove past lahinch and got a lovely hour and a half session at the funnest little slab with just Cian, Clem and myself out. Sharing shack after shack hooting each other on! Dreamy stuff with the sun out! It was an amazing finish to an amazing day! A day I know I will never forget. As for the surf with Ben Player that was supposed to happen, well the previous day Ben unfortunately had to be air lifted from a wave after he suffered a ruptured spleen. Unfortunate I know but hopefully he will be back in the water soon! I can’t wait to get back up there already!

 Cian starring into a very inviting barrel!