The Silver Surfari- RTE 2 Monday 6th July at 7pm
Watch "The Silver Surfari"- A documentary on Ireland's Patrons Pilgrimage Surfing Safari on RTE 2 on Monday 6th July at 7pm.
A group of ageing surfers reunited for the first time in 40 years and embarked on an epic journey along Irelands Atlantic coastline, a journey of rediscovery, both of old friends and simpler times.

The Ireland Surfari crew were there to record these events, hear their tales and combine them with original archive footage to create 'The Silver Surfari'.

Credited with being the forefathers of Irish Surfing these men and women were among the very first to surf our coastline. Forty years on and these same individuals enter once more the emerald waters as they set out on a ten
day surfari. Over the course of the surfari almost seventy surfers from around the world dusted off their longboard’s and revved up their rusty camper vans as they retraced the tracks they made nearly half a century ago.

This documentary follows the convoy as it makes its way up the coast; from the reunion at Kenny’s Bar in Lahinch, where the first surfers met in 1966, to the celebrations at the Surfers Bar at Rossnowlagh at the annual Inter-County championships.

Among our storytellers is the original granddaddy of Irish surfing, Kevin Cavey; a Californian surf traveller who could never leave his Irish roots behind, Kevin Naughton; Ireland's most succesful surfer who still dominates in the water, Hughie O'Brien Moran; the opinionated Easky soul-surfer, Dave 'The Pilot' Corfield and not to forget the man who made the surfari happen, Brian Britton. Together along with many other silver haired grommets they bring us a unique insight into how surfing began and developed in Ireland and give the viewer an opportunity to discover a subculture that has rarely been documented.

Using a wealth of rare archive film footage that we have collected, including many of the surfers own personal 8mm cinefilm the surfers guide us through a time when as bronzed freckly faced youthful surfers they began to discover the true gems that Ireland’s oceans had to offer.

In a letter sent out to the participants of the patrons pilgrimage, the organisers describe their aim as “to celebrate 40 years of Irish surfing 1966 – 2006…it is meant to be about fun, reunion, old memories and surfing, so let’s enjoy it, share some yarns and welcome back again to Irish waves friends from many years ago.”

'The Silver Surfari' not only records a once in a lifetime event of huge importance to Irish Surfing but it also shows how these men and women do not just see surfing as a sport, but as a way of life where important decisions revolve around the ever changing ocean: where to get a job, where to bring
up a family, what to call their first born child.... an alternate lifestyle! 40 years on and still surfing!