Without an American accent and a mop of sun-bleached hair, Donncha Foley doesn't look like your typical surfer dude. But, in fact, he's the man behind the resurgence of surfing in Galway.

Having grown up in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Donncha spent a lot of time at his nearest beach, Castlegregory. Unusually, however, he says he is not an expert swimmer, "I'm not really that comfortable in the water – it's the sea, anything can happen. I've seen people go out, get pulled out far and hop off the board. Safety is so important."

Donncha admits that he more or less "fell into" surfing about five years ago, and that he's by no means an expert. However, that doesn't stop him making the most of his hobby, and after surfing in Lahinch other places around the country he realised that Galway had a dire need for a surfing club, with even beach-less Limerick having a surf club.

Setting up Galway Surfers in May 2006, Donncha wasn't sure what kind of response to expect. The one he got, with almost 100 people attending the first meeting, was a welcome surprise.

The group meets once a month to watch surfing DVDs in Massimo's – the next best thing to surfing itself, which isn't always possible with bad weather conditions. According to Donncha, there is a growing market for Irish surfind DVDs, with surf companies such as Billabong and Roxy sponsoring the films, which usually take place in exotic locations like Bali and Hawaii.

The group also organises regular days out surfing, with carloads of surfing enthusiasts travelling to Bundoran, Achill or Lahinch most weekends in the summer. "There are great waves at Lahinch, unless it's really calm," says Donncha. The Clare coastline also has serious waves to entice the more experienced surfer, with the most recent discovery being 'Aileens', a huge wave off the Cliffs of Moher. The club doesn't surf at this location, as it would only be suitable for very experienced surfers, explains Donncha.

As a relatively inexperienced surfer, Donncha says his best memories yet are of a weekend course he did at Club Bend in Lahinch, "they really helped us to improve, by the end I could do stuff I never thought would be possible!"

The club is not a competitive body, but being a member does entitle people to compete in Irish Surfing Association events on an individual basis. "We have great safety as a group, that was one reason for setting up the club," says its creator.

Two years after its inception, Donncha is happy with the way the club is going. "I don't think it rules my life – some people would disagree!"

For more information, check out www.galwaysurfers.com.

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