Irish junior surfers in final 2016 selection competition

Irish junior surfers completed their final 2016 selection event in Lahinch, Co. Clare over the weekend.

The 2016 C-Skins West Coast Juniors surf contest was the final event on the junior tour to select Ireland’s Junior surf team for this year’s European Junior Championships.

Hawaiian professional Jamie O’Brien and his friend Sean “Poopies” McIntyre arrived in Lahinch during the week and made a special effort to drop by the Junior contest on Saturday.

They returned to the event at the end of the day where O’Brien donated one of his boards as a special prize for a deserving surfer.

West Coast Surf Club chairman, Peter Conroy said: “Let’s make this fun and have Jamie name the prize winners.”

Tadhg Kennedy’s name prompted O’Brien to use “Mr Kennedy” when he couldn’t even attempt Tadhg.

McIntyre also took on the name pronunciation challenge only to fall at the hurdle of Maia Monaghan’s surname.

Much to the delight of the local supporters, 12-year-old Finn Richardson won the U14 boys division of the competition.

Richardson was also selected as the recipient of the board for the improvement he has shown at contests over the past year much to his shock.

He said: “I’m so happy I can’t even talk.”

The surfers on the shortlist for the 2016 junior teams stayed on in Lahinch to complete a national squad training session yesterday as they got their preparation for the European Juniors underway.