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Displaying items by tag: Britton Brothers

#Surfing - The video above, via The Score, captures the various surfing adventures of Meath native Maxie Hill, who left Ireland's shores for the waves of Indonesia for what was planned to be a three-month trip.

But five years on, he's still spends much of his time in South East Asia, supporting his surfing habit as a chef Australia - working for Rick Stein, no less.

His short film A Letter To Home is a fitting self-shot tribute to the waves that drive his passion.

That's a passion shared by the Britton brothers of Rossnowlagh in Co Donegal, whose lives changed forever when two of the first surfboards ever used in Ireland fell into their laps in the early 1960s.

The Irish Times recounts the incredible story of these four brothers – Barry, Willie, Conor and Brian – who taught themselves how to surf from movies and magazines, and became the foundation of Ireland's surfing community as we know it today.

If not for them we wouldn't have the Irish Surfing Association as we know it, nor would we have Barry's daughter Easkey Britton, a world-class surfer and pioneer in her own right.

The Britton brothers are the subject of a recent RTÉ Radio documentary, The Beach Boys of Rossnowlagh, that's available to stream or download HERE.

Published in Surfing

About the Watersports Inclusion Games

The Watersports Inclusion Games are an award-winning event organised by Irish Sailing with partners from across the watersports sector, that enable people of all abilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning spectrums to take to the water to participate in a wide range of water activities.

More than 250 people with physical, sensory, intellectual and learning disabilities typically take part in the weekend's events.

Participants will have the opportunity to try more sports than ever before, with an expanded range including sailing, kayaking, canoeing, paddle-boarding, rowing, surfing, water skiing and powerboating all on offer.

The Games typically take place each August.

The organisers of the Games want to let people of all abilities know that there are multiple watersports available to them, and to encourage more people from all backgrounds to get involved and out on the water regardless of ability. They aim to highlight that any barriers faced by people with disabilities can be eliminated.

There are social, health and wellness benefits associated with sailing and all watersports. These include improved muscle strength and endurance, improved cardiovascular fitness and increased agility, enhanced spatial awareness, greater mental wellness through the balancing of serotonin levels and the lowering of stress levels, improved concentration and the forging of positive relationships.