IN 1966 the Surf Club Of Ireland was formed, a club that later became Irish Surfing, the National Governing Body of Surfing today.
The club was the result of a chain of events initiated by Bray man, Kevin Cavey. Kevin discovered surfing in 1962, when he saw a picture of a Hawaiian surfer in a Reader’s Digest. This picture was his inspiration for a life-long passion for surfing.
For the next few years, Kevin experimented with making his own boards, connecting with other surfers and forming Ireland’s first Surf Club.
In 1966, Kevin decided it was time to tell Ireland that surfing had arrived. He took a stand at the Boat Show, titled Bray Ireland Surf Club, and was inundated
with interest.
Following the success of the Boat Show, Kevin, who had just received delivery of his first custom fibreglass surfboard, his brother Colm, Tom Casey and Patrick Kinsella set off on their first great Surfari in a Vauxhall Victor 101 station wagon with a stack of surfboards on the roof.
Their great surfari marked the bringing of surfing to the West.
Their first stop was Strandhill, Co Sligo followed by Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal and then North to the Causeway Coast.
On returning home from the Surfari, the Surf Club Of Ireland was formed, a club representing all Ireland. By the late 1960s surfing was expanding rapidly and regional clubs began to emerge including North Coast Surf Club, West Coast Surf Club, South Coast Surf Club, Rossnowlagh Surf Club and Fastnet Surf Club.
At this point, the Surf Club Of Ireland became the Irish Surfing Association, the National Governing Body linking the newly emerged clubs.
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