Displaying items by tag: Joe Roddy

23rd January 2016

Ireland's First Surfer Subject Of New Radio Documentary

#Surfing - He's the Irish surfing hall-of-famer who "came out of nowhere".

And now Joe Roddy is the subject of a fascinating radio documentary about his decades of aquatic exploits and ingenuity on Newstalk, both online and broadcast tonight (Saturday 23 January) at 10pm.

As TheJournal.ie reports, Surfing at the Crossroads brings the now 80-year-old Roddy to Valentia Island, where he recounts building what's regarded as Ireland's first surfboard – way back in the 1940s.

But even before then he was assembling his own makeshift vessels and gadgets to enable him to go canoeing, snorkelling – even spear-fishing.

The latter of which Roddy excelled at enough to represent Ireland at the World Championships in Cuba in 1967 - recording a incredible 32-metre dive in the process.

TheJournal.ie has much more on Joe Roddy's story HERE.

Published in Surfing

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About Pamela Lee, Irish Offshore Sailor

Ireland has produced some of the world’s most dedicated offshore sailors, and Pamela Lee of Greystones is one of them. She has made a name for herself in the sailing world, having worked as a mate on a charter Super-yacht for two and a half years. After coming ashore, she has been fully committed to her offshore sailing ambitions since 2019.

Lee has raced in various craft, including Figaro 3s, Class 40, Tp 52s, and multihulls, and has eight transatlantic crossings under her belt. In partnership with Kenny Rumball, Lee supported Rumball’s La Solitaire du Figaro sailing campaign to secure the Irish berth in the proposed Mixed Offshore Keelboat event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

One of Lee’s stated main aims is to promote female empowerment in sport, and she set out to establish a double-handed Round Ireland speed record with Englishwoman Cat Hunt in the winter of 2020. This campaign gained much publicity, and Lee expressed pride in bringing sailing and offshore sailing, in particular, into the conversation for 2020.

To further her offshore sailing career, Lee moved to France, where she has recently secured a place to skipper a yacht in the Transat Jacques Vabre Challenge in October 2023. Lee’s passion and dedication to offshore sailing are inspiring, and her achievements are a testament to her hard work and perseverance.