Surfer and author Easkey Britton: 'Your identity totally changes when you become a mum'

Easkey Britton, Irish surfer, scientist and author, on the beach near her home in Rosnowlagh, Co. Donegal. Pic: James Connolly

I grew up in Rossnowlagh in Donegal. 

Myself and my sister Beckey-Finn grew up by the beach and the sea was our playground. 

I’ve been surfing since before I can remember. 

That’s been the single greatest influence in my life, having that connection with the sea passed down from our parents.

My earliest memories are as a toddler pottering around with my bucket and spade, playing in rock pools along the coastline or watching the waves when my dad was surfing. 

I’d hang out on the shore with my mum while we waited for him to come back. 

That gave me a lovely sense of wonder and curiosity — having the freedom to discover a whole other world in that inter-tidal zone.

As a new mum to twin babies, I feel like you’re born with an energy that’s shaped by your environment and upbringing. 

The water never held any fear for me. The story of my name — being called after my dad’s favourite wave — I have saltwater in my blood. And the connection with the Irish word for fish and the Salmon of Knowledge — Easkey was a name to carry around with me.

If you’d asked me a year ago what my greatest challenge was, it would be having to confront my fears of taking on some of the biggest waves. 

I’ve ridden in places like Mullaghmore and the Cliffs of Moher but all of that pales in comparison to becoming a mother. That journey took me for a ride and I’m still on it.

The most challenging part is the stark realisation that we live in a society that doesn’t support mothers or celebrate motherhood — in a way that I didn’t expect. 

What women go through — it’s so powerful — yet it’s difficult because there’s no way to honour it. 

Then, there’s the nitty-gritty of actually growing life and giving birth. I’m definitely in the deep end with twins. They’re almost one and I’m only coming up for air now.

I’ve come full circle. After decades of travelling around the world with my surfing career, I’ve ended up back home. It feels really special; I’m surrounded by family.

Easkey Britton, Irish surfer, scientist and author, relaxing on the beach near her home in Rosnowlagh, Co. Donegal. Photo: James Connolly

Your identity totally changes when you become a mum. I have a lot of accolades from my PhD to big wave awards to writing books but being a mum — well, your world just totally alters its orbit.

My greatest quality is my curiosity. That can’t be underestimated.

I’m most proud of how I’ve made it this far on the motherhood journey; how I keep such a connection of love between myself and my partner and our two little ones, even through really tough times.

My mum and I are really close, we’re best friends. If I can’t make a decision, or if I feel stuck, I always run it by her. She’s a great sounding board.

I look at what I do and why I do it and the life lesson there is to realise that we are part of nature. It’s something I really want to pass on to my kids. 

If they have that, I know they’ll be able to cope with whatever life throws at them. It’s a terrible situation we’re in that we believe ourselves as separate from the environment.

There’s a pearl of wisdom that I love from a friend of mine, a freediver called Hanli Prinsloo. She says that “our strength is in being soft like water”.

I’d like to be remembered as someone who always lived life led by my heart, not ruled by fear, and was not afraid to take risks.

I don’t think I would go back and change anything [if I could]. I’d take it all again because it’s led me to be who I am and I’m so grateful for that — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Anyone who says climate change hasn’t impacted their life is definitely living under a rock. What it’s done for us as a family is fine hone what matters most, especially now that we are parents. 

It’s about spending as much time as possible outdoors, trying to grow our own food, looking at the quality of the soil, water, and the environment we live in.

Now I’m in this new mum body, I’m constantly learning. My greatest skill is the ability to tell stories, and to communicate some of the wonder I feel in the ocean into words.

I’m continually surprised by the sea. Every day, it offers me something new and unexpected, be that an interaction with a seal or a dolphin, or discovering something I’ve never spotted before in a rock pool.

I’m terrified by how radically we’ve altered Earth’s systems in such a short space of time. It scares me to think of the future of the ocean, which is our life support system.

I could have ended up a trapeze artist. I was about to finish my doctorate and I had a real mental block. I went to my PhD supervisor and said, ‘I need to run away with the circus’. 

I went to Fidget Feet’s Irish Aerial Dance Festival that’s held every year in Donegal. They did all these amazing classes like dance trapeze, silks, and aerial acrobatics. I loved it. That had a real pull on me.

• Surfer and author Easkey Britton will be in conversation with fellow author and sea swimmer Elizabeth Rose Murray at the West Cork Literary Festival July 9 at the Bantry House tearooms.