General
Sligo has one of the best coastlines in Ireland for surfing espicially along the Easky/Enniscrone coast. Strandhill is a seaside village which could be described as a suburb of Sligo Town. Strandhill has one of Irelands oldest and largest surf clubs and hosts the Strandhill Open during the August Bank Holiday attracting most of Irelands top surfers. Strandhill has a small airport which has regular flights to Dublin andis also probably the closest major surf beach to Dublin. Strandhill is accessible by a 10minute bus journey from Sligo town which itself has regular buses/Trains to Dublin. Strandhill beach has a carpark right in front of the break which is very accessible and has lots of Pubs and restaurants.
Surf
Srandhill beach is one of the best in the North west but can be very tidal. Generally it breaks on the rocks at high tide when there is no beach and can close out on low tides. However on mid tides nice banks can be found espicially the right in front of the Strand Bar. There is a river mouth to the south and Blue rock at the north end of the beach which is a sand/boulder bottomed point break which can offer protection from swell and winds.
The climate/water temp/seasons
A 3/2 wetsuit is fine from May to September with water temps in the 12 to 16 degrees range. The Irish weather is as hard to predict as the lottery and is very unpredicably. The gulf ctream does warm the water and it can be warmer than you would expect.
The Autumn (September/October) is often descibed as the surf season as the water temp is still warm from the summer and hurricanes swells can produce big surf in the 6 to 10foot range. It can also be the time of year when there is crowds athe more famous reef breaks but seek and you can still find. A 4/3 is the best suit at this time of year.
The summer/spring is great for beginner/intermediate surfers as the smaller swells can mean good waves on the open beaches. The long days also allow us to surf after 11pm but the summer can produce long flat spells. Also when there is good waves it can be less crowded than the Autumn.
The winter is cold and dark with strong winds but if with plenty of sheltered breaks the surf can be epic. Often no problem with swell but chasing the offshore wind is crucial. A 5/3 suit is essential but search arround and you can find empty world class waves.
