Colin Sheridan: How surfer's special moment swells the heart
DROPPING IN: Red Bull surfer Conor Maguire catches a Massive Swell In Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo last week. Pic: Red Bull Content Pool/Gary McCall
Last week, Donegal man Conor Maguire surfed a wave at Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, that looked less like a natural occurrence and more like a CGI created monster. It rose from the Atlantic with celestial intent, wearing the unmistakable air of something that should not, under any reasonable circumstances, be ridden by a human being held together primarily by neoprene and optimism.
For non-surfers - which is to say, the overwhelming majority of us - the footage was disorienting. Not impressive in the tidy, medal-count sense. Not “great” in the way we use the word when discussing goals, cross-field kicks or a nine-darter. It was surreal. As if the sea had briefly slipped its leash and decided to show us what it’s actually capable of when it stops being polite. For actual surfers, the reaction was apparently identical. Awe, fear, reverence - the holy trinity. Because when you strip it back, surfing is not a sport that rewards familiarity. Even those who understand it best still approach it like pilgrims, aware that knowledge offers no protection once the ocean decides otherwise.
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