Waveriders

Waveriders is a cross-border production by Dublin based director Joel Conroy and Derry based creative producer Margo Harkin.

Waveriders tells the inspirational and ultimately tragic story of legendary waterman, George Freeth (1883 – 1919), the Hawaiian-born son of an Irishman and the godfather of modern surfing. The epic journey travels from Hawaii to California to Irish shores following Freeth’s far-reaching influence. Irish, British, and US surfers Richie Fitzgerald, Gabe Davies, Kelly Slater, and the Malloy Brothers extol the joys of wave-riding in Ireland in an exhilarating cinematic odyssey. The journey ends with a spectacular climax as today’s pioneers conquer thundering walls of water over 50 foot high in the biggest swell ever to have been ridden off the Irish Atlantic coast, heralding Ireland’s emergence as one of the world’s top surf destinations.

This film was digitised and preserved by the IFI Irish Film Archive thanks to a grant from Coimisiún na Meán’s Archiving Funding Scheme, which aims to preserve content recorded for broadcast on radio or television.