Hello and welcome to the University of Galway Surf Club!
We pride ourselves on encouraging students of every level to get into the water, have fun and make friends. We cater for surfers of all abilites, from complete beginners to those competing at national level. We facilitate regular day trips to Lahinch and Fanore, where beginners can learn to surf with Irish Surfing Association qualified instructors and overnight weekend trips to the top surf sports in the country. Our weekend trips to Lahinch and Bundoran offer beginners and chargers alike a chance to surf in new places, make new friends, and party till dawn! Lessons, competitions, games and shenanigans... For those keen to surf during the week, the Surf Club telegram group chats (see the linktr.ee in our Instagram bio) is a great place to meet other people willing to share the cost of an early morning surf trip to Co. Clare. Don't worry if you can't make it on our overnight or day trips - we also have a stand up paddle board instructor who takes groups out on the Corrib River weekly... an excellent way to get comfortable on a board in the water! As of last year, the club has started up surf skate training, which is a great way of practicing how to surf (on land) as the skates mimic turns in surfing.
The club provides a range of boards including foamies, longboards, short boards and SUPs, all are free for members to useonce they have payed their club membership! Wetsuits, boots, gloves and other wintery clothing are also available to all members.
In 2012 and 2013 the club brought a group of members to Peniche in Portugal where lessons were given and the craic was had! In recent years, the club has started to go abroad to Morocco, with our most recent club trip being in January 2024 to Taghazout, Morocco. This trip was a MASSIVE success, and we hope to do it all again this year.
This year we are expanding the club to provide more for the advanced surfers with meetings and get togethers every few weeks and small group trips to higher performance waves where we will record you surfing with our GoPro so that you can get an outside perspective of your style and where you need to improve as well as get advice from your peers. We are really excited about this as it is a great way to speed up your progression and maybe get more people competing in the Intervaristies and regional contests.
We were national Intervarsity Champions for six years running, we lost it to Sligo in 2012 and regained our title in 2013! In 2014 we placed 3rd in varsities in Achill Island, but unfortunately varsities in 2015 did not go ahead because of the ISA's poor choice of location! Due to Covid-19, Intervarsity's were postponed until 2023 where University of Galway hosted! We placed a commendable fourth and had numerous podium finishes!
Aside from surfing we are a very charitable group. We try to both participate in and facilitate as many charity events as possible such as our successful Plunge for Pieta and fundraiser gigs!
This is just a mere taster of what the surf club has to offer. The best way to stay up to date with the club is to follow us on Instagram, read our weekly emails and to meet us in person at our weekly meetings or at Clubs Day!
In 2001 the Surf club was officially recognized by the University thanks to the work Tom Flanigan put in. However membership remained low and most members had their own surf boards. The club only had two surf boards for beginner use. These surf boards are famous for surviving after being driven over in France and for surviving a house fire and are now held in the surf club museum. Despite lack of funding the surf club committee ( Paddy Tom and Tom Walsh ) held intense meetings where they would discuss the future of the club and organize weekends away. From these humble pioneers the Club has grown and prospered into a hugely well organised and successful global conglomerate; boasting property, oil wells and worldwide legions of loyal minions amongst its assets.
Since Covid19 the surf club has grown in popularity. In 2021-2022 the Surf club won club of the year out of all University Sports clubs in Ireland. Have a peek at all our achievements below ;)
The club grows in size more and more each year!
2022/2023 - University of Galway Sports Awards - Best Event of the Year (Intervarsities)
2022/2023 - Intervarsities 4th Place (Bundoran)
2021/2022- Club of the year Award -USI (Nationwide)
2015/2016 - Intervarsities 1st and 2nd place (Sligo)
2014/2015- Clubs Captains' Award- Aisling Byrne
2013/2014- Intervarsities 3rd Place (Achill, Co.Mayo)
2012/2013 - Intervarsities Champions (Castlegreggory). NUIG Leadership Award Winners. Club's Captains' Award- Grainne Conway.
2009/2010 - Intervarsites Champions (Sligo) for the sixth year in a row,
2008/2009 - Intervarsites Champions (Lahinch),
2007/2008 - Intervarsities Champions (Lahinch)
2006/07-Intervarsities Champions(T Bay)/"Best New Club".
2005/2006 - Intervarsities Champions (Portrush)
First "sports star" award given to a surfing athlete in NUIG history 2005 - "Club of the Year" & Winners of Intervarsities 2004 - "Most Improved Club"
pre 2003 - quote: "its all a psychedilic blur..."
Meeting times:
Included in the weekly emails dudes, dudettes and every gnarly person in between :)
Captain 2024- 2025 - Caoimhe Gilligan - c.gilligan7@universityofgalway.ie - +353 83 015 6904
Vice Captain 2024- 2025 - Liam Blake - l.blake8@universityofgalway.ie - +353 85 767 9999
Club email- surfclub@clubs.universityofgalway.ie
Instagram DM- uniofgalway_surfclub
