Roller Coaster, a new big wave film from Ireland.

We caught up with McDaid to hear more about the film and the wild ride that is surfing in Ireland. 

Surfer: When did you start and finish filming?
McDaid: We are pretty much always filming and trying to stack clips but I guess most of this film was filmed from November 23 - March 24. Which is our winter here in Ireland and the clip is kind of a winter recap–the ups and downs that come with a surf career. From winning a contest one week, to losing the first round in the next. From the waves of your life to serious injuries that have you sidelined for the following swell. It’s all part of the game and we just have to learn to deal with it. 

Surfer: Tell me about the crew involved, do you guys go way back?
McDaid: Myself and Clem have been friends for ages and we have been working together for the last 10 years. It’s always great being able to work with your people and do trips and chase waves because it’s always fun–you just feel like you're cruising with your friends. Clem’s always keen to drop everything and chase it which is so sick for him to be that dedicated. There’s also some clips from a bunch of our other friends that shoot in Ireland like Conor Flanagan and João Tudela, they're always chasing it too. It’s epic to be able to work with such a sick local crew and then a couple of traveling filmers who helped too. It’s so good to see the guys who travel here give the clips back to the locals too. Which is what we always do when we travel as well.

Surfer: Any heavy moments during the process?
McDaid: There was definitely a couple very scary and sketchy sessions at Riley’s that were, honestly, kinda unsurfable. It was just me and Conor Maguire whipping it and Clem standing there hoping we didn’t die (laughs). But it’s pretty sick to look back on those days and see what could be possible if the right things come together. 

Surfer: What's the surf community like within Ireland?
McDaid:  I honestly think the Irish surf community is the best in the world. It’s still a relatively small community where everyone knows everyone and there’s always epic banter in the water whether you're a local or a visiting foreign surfer. It’s not like that in a lot of places around the world.

Surfer: How's it for visiting surfers, do you find that most are welcome and show due respect?
McDaid: I was just talking about it with one of my friends yesterday; everyone here is so friendly in the water we have the chats and the craic with pretty much everyone in the line up. We get our waves but we also aren’t complete d*s  like other places in the world where you’re not even allowed to paddle out to some spots without getting heckled. If guys are respectful, and wait, they’ll always get a bomb. And ya it’s always really good to see when the big name guys give back a bit to the locals whether it’s giving everyone the clips their filmers got or just coming to meet and hangout with the groms. It’s a big thing for the groms to see that, it’s inspiring and pushes them on so much.

Surfer: Any notable visitors you guys are stoked on?
McDaid: Yeah, for sure. Guys like Mick Fanning, Nathan Florence, Leo Fiovanti, Russel Bierke, Adrian Toyon are all guys who have come multiple times and always are super respectful in the lineups, wait their turns and get bombs. And they always make time for the locals to have some meet ups with groms, hook the boys up with all their clips. Nathan is so good at stoking out the surf community, he supports a local surf festival that runs now and it’s sick to see they don’t just land, pillage the place for the waves and leave the next day.

Surfer: Who are you most excited about in the younger generation and what do you think the future holds for Irish surfers?
McDaid: The next gen of Irish surfers are super sick. It’s so good to see when I was a kid there was like only me and one or two other kids my age surfing where now there hoards of them haha. Easily 10-15 kids now throughout the country that are ripping. It’s great to see even if it is making the lineups harder (laughs). Guys like Josh Karbus who is up there with any of the best kids throughout the world, he’s got some serious potential. There are so many others that are starting to push it in some bigger waves now too, starting to hit the slabs and it’s awesome to see.