Three Waves In Ireland

A little over a week ago, a freak swell slammed into Ireland and ignited its premier slab, Mullaghmore. A handful of locals, including Gearoid McDaid, Conor Maguire, Calum Milne, and others were out there both towing and paddling.

And since this was such a rare event — Mully is typically a winter spot — we tapped Surfline Forecaster Charlie Hutcherson for a breakdown:

“Mully going off in June? The North Atlantic has managed to put together a few respectable runs of swell this month, but no one expects to score XL surf during summer at the Irish big-wave slab. Though it never truly sleeps, the North Atlantic’s storm track shifts further north making significant events rare this time of year. What made this unheard of ‘warm-water’ session possible? Low pressure moved off the U.S. East Coast and took shape under the Canadian Maritimes before deepening over the central Northern Atlantic mid-month, a setup we often see during fall but one that’s not common during summer.

“The storm developed a 50-knot fetch, but the secret sauce was its track straight toward Ireland over the agitated seas from another strong storm a day or two ahead of it. Seas pushed toward 40’ and were likely even bigger as satellites missed the strongest part of the storm. The storm slowly weakened but was able to bring 20’ seas very close to the coast and veered north in time to provide light winds (by local standards) and favorable summertime conditions.”