http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr5IANBE8os
Recently, we sat down with the Irish pro-surfer and all round sound bloke, Richie Fitzgerald, to talk about surfing, business in Ireland and his role in the brand new Jägermeister advert.
Richie Fitzgerald is without a doubt one of the best surfers in Ireland, if not the entire world, and when he’s not competing in competitions he puts most of his time and effort into the family run surf shop and surf school called Surfworld, located on Main Street, Bundoran, Co. Donegal.
Recently, Richie took a little break from his Surfworld duties back home in order to take part in Jägermeister’s first UK TV campaign (above). So we sat down with the man himself to talk ice-cold waters, surfing tips and getting to work on a major TV advert with a group of his mates.
JOE: So Richie, was there a lot of direction involved for your Jägermeister advert or were you all left to your own devices?
Richie Fitzgerald: Well, the crew that made the Jägermeister ad were really clued in and they had a great mix of gentle persuasion in setting the scene with basic storyboards for the day and letting us just get on with it and do whatever came naturally seeing as we’re all good mates anyway. So there was a great group dynamic between us all and it really was a fantastic surf-road-trip so it bounced along organically, really.
JOE: How exactly did Jägermeister approach you for the advert in the first place?
RF: The whole Jägermeister ad, which was shot in Iceland, came to me through my good mate Gabe Davies and his production company, Lola Cove Films, during late summer last year. After 14-months of scouting different countries by the advertisement company and with no luck, they decided that British and Irish surfers were what they needed for the new Jäger ad.
So after an initial casting and over the next couple of months Dave Blount and myself were chosen from Ireland along with Oli Adams, Ben Skinner and Owain Davies from the UK to make up the cast. They’re all solid surfers and good blokes and I knew the trip would be a blast with that group of shams [laughs]!
JOE: How cold was it exactly? They must have been some of the coldest waters you’ve ever surfed?
RF: Yeah, it was pretty damn cold. It makes the Northwest of Ireland feel like the Mediterranean in comparison! Around the southern part of Iceland it was only -5 or -6 degrees Celsius during the day but we filmed mostly 10-hours north in the fjords near the Arctic Circle, so it was a very harsh environment both in and out of the water.
We faced -15 to -20 degrees during the day with wind chill on top of that plus we were constantly hopping in and out of the 1-degree water. The ice lagoon with all the broken chunks of ice running out into the surf, that was a hardcore 3-hour shoot and the wind chill was severe once you were wet.
JOE: It must have been good fun to shoot a video for Jägermeister with your mates, in fairness? How do you all know each other?
RF: It was a blast from start to finish. Dave Blount and myself have been mates since we were kids surfing together since the ‘80s at all age levels for Ireland in European and World Championships. We have known the three English lads for most of our adult life too, so it was great to be with a bunch of mates. It was smart casting by Jäger, in all fairness.
They decided to choose real surfers, which is refreshing as actors and models are usually cast in these surfing-themed TV commercials and film ventures with real surfers just used at the end as stunt doubles. The fact that we have all surfed at international and professional levels really told, as the standard of surfing was really high and I feel Jägermeister got the desired effect in the ad with the journey, locations, surfing and friendship that came across on camera.
JOE: Well that all sounds like great craic. So how’s business in Bundoran these days?
RF: Yeah, our surf shop and surf school (Surfworld), surf cafe etc. are doing really good but my family have been in the surf industry here for over 25 years and we have a great heritage and good will attached to the business. We keep our eye on the ball in business terms, as it is a very difficult time/market for retailers, especially in Ireland.
So you have to constantly add to, adapt and tweak your business on a season to season basis at the very least, moving with trends online, in the surf product industry and also all our social media outlets, web, Facebook, Twitter etc. We try to cover all sales on our online store and in the surf shop. Putting the customer first is the most important thing, our business is built on customer service along with offering good value in the surf shop and services like board repair, surf rentals and a year round surf school is always a good foundation…
JOE: While the rest of us in Ireland were moaning and groaning about the recent bad weather, you must have been enjoying the big swells? Or were you? Does bad weather equal big waves?
RF: It was, and still is, a spectacular season for surf this past winter/spring. It has been one of the biggest winter seasons I can remember in the last 30 years on the northwest seaboard with a constant conveyor belt of big low pressure systems bringing in massive swells that have been bearing down and bursting onto the coast since early December.
It’s never really nice to surf in the adverse weather that these big low pressure systems are associated with but for a dedicated surfer it’s all about the waves and everything else are just details. Contrary to popular belief the best surf conditions are usually with light wind or no wind at all. You can surf big wave spots with strong offshore wind, but the best conditions are very light off-shores and thankfully March has stabilised somewhat and we are getting some world class surf with both light winds and sunshine, so it’s great to see spring on the way.
JOE: Is Ireland one of the better surf spots around – if so, where in particular is a good place to surf?
RF: In my opinion, Ireland has some of the best coastal surfing spots on the planet bar none. It really is that good… The whole west coast especially from Easkey in Co. Sligo, to Bundoran in Co. Donegal is just a stunning stretch of surf coast packed to the rafters with world class beaches, points, reefs, slabs and big wave outer reefs unrivalled anywhere in Europe and beyond.
For most people hot spots like Bundoran, Strandhill, Rossnowlagh, Portrush and Lahinch offer a great variety of surf from easy beach breaks for beginners to world class reefs for experts all in a condensed area, so there really is something for all levels.
JOE: What was the biggest wave you’ve ever ridden? When, where, how did you feel afterwards?
RF: I’ve been surfing big waves for a long time and I have experienced the full range of emotions, from utter terror to pure euphoria. I’ve ridden some pretty big stuff down through the years in Ireland and Hawaii. I’ve had a fair few massive swells in the 45-50ft-face range here on my doorstep in Mullaghmore Co. Sligo. Waves of that size are as scary a situation as you can ever imagine. You go as prepared as possible, well trained with your years of experience behind you and I feel that it’s really, really important to back yourself in those situations or else you shouldn’t be out there in the first place.
In the end it really boils down to calculated madness and you are only one bad mistake away from severe consequences and you really do risk your life with each roll of the dice on days like that. I think it can be compared a bit to free climbing without ropes on mountains or cliffs, as most of the time there is very, very little room for any error. The feeling you get is one of a massive mix of emotions, fear, adrenaline, elation, and aggression, and off course huge achievement. The knowledge that you belong to a very tiny and very exclusive club of humans around the world who have ever tackled waves of that magnitude is just indescribable.
JOE: What’s the best way for complete beginners to get involved, and once they do, what are your tips for standing up – I’ve tried myself in the past, but I spent most of the day body-boarding on a 12ft surf board?
RF: [Laughs] Definitely go to a registered Irish Surf Association (ISA) surf school. They’re all around the country, from Tramore to Portrush, all along the east and west coasts. I have a surf school here in Bundoran (Surfworld) and one in Brittas Bay Co. Wicklow. Get a few lessons under your belt from a good instructor and take it from there.
Take your time, you can rent boards and wetsuits and try before you buy up here so that’s a good idea before you take the plunge and buy all your own gear. The most important thing is to have fun. That’s really what it’s all about and make sure to do plenty of stretching and yoga, as it’s great for strength and to help you to ‘pop up’ [laughs]. Surfing is all about lean strength and flexibility. Most beginner surfers and surf lessons go out in small perfectly safe knee high waves so that it’s easy and don’t let this talk of 45-50 footers put you off… that’s a different ball game altogether.
JOE: Yeah, we’ll give it a week or so before we try any 50 footers. Joking of course… So what’s next for you, Richie?
RF: I’ve been surfing for 30 years this year, since I was a child, and I feel I’m still going strong with my surfing and business ventures everyday. I still have lots of cool opportunities like the Jägermeister commercial coming my way so that’s brilliant. I would like to surf until the day I die of course, but the thing I’m really looking forward to this year is the birth of my second child with my beautiful wife Briohny, later in the summer. So I’m very excited about that.
I think I would like to look back on my life when I’m an awl fella and be remembered as a good dad to my children. That, in my mind, is the manliest thing you can do in your life as a bloke. That’s really important to me and I care about that a lot, so that’s what’s next for me.
JOE: Well, best of luck to you and Briohny with the birth and thanks very much for taking the time out to chat with us.
RF: No problem. Thanks lads!
To keep up to date with Richie make sure to check out his Twitter and Facebook pages.
To find out more about Jagermeister and the brand around the world go to …. www.Jagermeister.com
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
