Growing up in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, surrounded by sea and sand, one can fathom how Dr Easkey Britton’s love for surfing began.
However, her passion for the sport stems back to her grandmother, who played a key role in introducing surfing to the northwest of Ireland.
“In the 60s, my grandmother worked for the Irish Tourism Board, Fáilte Ireland. She was travelling to California and ended up in the Malibu surf area.
"Surfing hadn’t yet arrived in Ireland and she saw it happening out there and thought that the waves in front of her hotel in Rossnowlagh were just as good, if not better,” says Easkey.
She brought two surf boards back to Ireland and they would have been some of the first surf boards to arrive in the northwest of the country.
"The rest is kind of history once my dad and his brothers got their hands on the boards.”
Easkey Britton.Easkey Britton.
Easkey admits that her grandmother brought surfing to Ireland by accident, leaving Easkey’s dad and his brothers to suss out the surfboards and, in the process, they became some of the first pioneers of Irish surfing.
“She never intended to introduce surfing in that sense. It was more for tourism and to have the boards up in the hotel, but I guess it was too much of an exciting opportunity for my dad and his brothers to pass up.
“Many years were spent figuring out what to do with surf boards,” laughs Easkey.
Making History
Easkey has competed around the world in European championships and world surfing games, and she made history as the first women to surf in Iran.
“It’s crazy because it is not like you set off on a mission, it just happens.
“I got a message recently from one of the first Iranian women who came to my workshop in Iran in 2015.
"Now she is actively involved with the Iranian Surfing Association and works to encourage and promote women’s participation.
“She is working on a surf wear design for women to wear when they are surfing in Iran and that could be a big game-changer.”
Easkey Britton.With numerous wins and achievements under her belt, Easkey has put her competition days behind her, but surfing remains a central part of her life.
“Competing was a huge part of my life for a long time. Now I work as a lecturer and researcher at the National University of Ireland in Galway (NUIG), so I have more time to go home and chase waves,” says Easkey.
“I am still very active in surfing but because I don’t compete anymore it has allowed me to become more creative.
"I feel like surfing is more akin to water dancing, the wave is your stage. Surfing lends itself really well to creativity because of what it does to your mind and the act of doing feels really creative too.
“Surfing also links to mindfulness, which is about being fully present in the moment and because you are in the sea, which is constantly changing, you are not thinking about anything else, especially when there is a wave coming at you.”
Your Stuff
With a PhD in environment and society study, which focuses on understanding human relationships with the environment, Easkey has fused her professionalism with her passion for surfing to promote environmental change.
Most recently, she has teamed up with the Your Stuff schools competition.
“Your Stuff is a brilliant example of how we need to address global environmental challenges.
"The competition brings together creativity, technology, storytelling and the environment to address the issue of how we use everyday ordinary objects, which often end up as waste, especially in the ocean.”
Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.
The competition invites students to pick an everyday object, which could be a pencil, a mobile or an apple, research its origins and visually tell its story through a medium of their choice.
“Your Stuff is an important way to engage young people and to make that emotional connection. Storytelling is a brilliant way to do that,” says Easkey.
“Your Stuff is about creating awareness. Objects are going to end up back in the natural system one way or the other, flushing things down the toilet doesn’t make them disappear.”
Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.
The future belongs to our younger generations and working with young people is something which Easkey wishes to continue.
“In terms of where the ideas and inspiration are, it is with young people.
"They are so aware and it is important to keep supporting and providing them with the tools to be creative, which is going to be key as we move into a more complex world.”
Your Stuff school competition was launched in Bundoran and is run by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Secondary school students can apply online for a chance to win €500 for themselves, €500 for their school and an inspirational talk from Easkey.
“They can apply online by filling in a form, hit send and then they can get to work on their project. There are guidelines and examples of what to do and great videos from last year’s winners.”
Deadline for Your Stuff is 23 March, see www.thestoryofyourstuff.ie for more details.
Read more
Surf meets turf with Donegal's Finn Ní Fhaoláin
Beach Life
Growing up in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, surrounded by sea and sand, one can fathom how Dr Easkey Britton’s love for surfing began.
However, her passion for the sport stems back to her grandmother, who played a key role in introducing surfing to the northwest of Ireland.
“In the 60s, my grandmother worked for the Irish Tourism Board, Fáilte Ireland. She was travelling to California and ended up in the Malibu surf area.
"Surfing hadn’t yet arrived in Ireland and she saw it happening out there and thought that the waves in front of her hotel in Rossnowlagh were just as good, if not better,” says Easkey.
She brought two surf boards back to Ireland and they would have been some of the first surf boards to arrive in the northwest of the country.
"The rest is kind of history once my dad and his brothers got their hands on the boards.”
Easkey Britton.Easkey Britton.
Easkey admits that her grandmother brought surfing to Ireland by accident, leaving Easkey’s dad and his brothers to suss out the surfboards and, in the process, they became some of the first pioneers of Irish surfing.
“She never intended to introduce surfing in that sense. It was more for tourism and to have the boards up in the hotel, but I guess it was too much of an exciting opportunity for my dad and his brothers to pass up.
“Many years were spent figuring out what to do with surf boards,” laughs Easkey.
Making History
Easkey has competed around the world in European championships and world surfing games, and she made history as the first women to surf in Iran.
“It’s crazy because it is not like you set off on a mission, it just happens.
“I got a message recently from one of the first Iranian women who came to my workshop in Iran in 2015.
"Now she is actively involved with the Iranian Surfing Association and works to encourage and promote women’s participation.
“She is working on a surf wear design for women to wear when they are surfing in Iran and that could be a big game-changer.”
Easkey Britton.With numerous wins and achievements under her belt, Easkey has put her competition days behind her, but surfing remains a central part of her life.
“Competing was a huge part of my life for a long time. Now I work as a lecturer and researcher at the National University of Ireland in Galway (NUIG), so I have more time to go home and chase waves,” says Easkey.
“I am still very active in surfing but because I don’t compete anymore it has allowed me to become more creative.
"I feel like surfing is more akin to water dancing, the wave is your stage. Surfing lends itself really well to creativity because of what it does to your mind and the act of doing feels really creative too.
“Surfing also links to mindfulness, which is about being fully present in the moment and because you are in the sea, which is constantly changing, you are not thinking about anything else, especially when there is a wave coming at you.”
Your Stuff
With a PhD in environment and society study, which focuses on understanding human relationships with the environment, Easkey has fused her professionalism with her passion for surfing to promote environmental change.
Most recently, she has teamed up with the Your Stuff schools competition.
“Your Stuff is a brilliant example of how we need to address global environmental challenges.
"The competition brings together creativity, technology, storytelling and the environment to address the issue of how we use everyday ordinary objects, which often end up as waste, especially in the ocean.”
Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.
The competition invites students to pick an everyday object, which could be a pencil, a mobile or an apple, research its origins and visually tell its story through a medium of their choice.
“Your Stuff is an important way to engage young people and to make that emotional connection. Storytelling is a brilliant way to do that,” says Easkey.
“Your Stuff is about creating awareness. Objects are going to end up back in the natural system one way or the other, flushing things down the toilet doesn’t make them disappear.”
Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.Easkey Britton launching the Your Stuff competition with a local school.
The future belongs to our younger generations and working with young people is something which Easkey wishes to continue.
“In terms of where the ideas and inspiration are, it is with young people.
"They are so aware and it is important to keep supporting and providing them with the tools to be creative, which is going to be key as we move into a more complex world.”
Your Stuff school competition was launched in Bundoran and is run by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Secondary school students can apply online for a chance to win €500 for themselves, €500 for their school and an inspirational talk from Easkey.
“They can apply online by filling in a form, hit send and then they can get to work on their project. There are guidelines and examples of what to do and great videos from last year’s winners.”
Deadline for Your Stuff is 23 March, see www.thestoryofyourstuff.ie for more details.
Read more
Surf meets turf with Donegal's Finn Ní Fhaoláin
Beach Life
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