Spanish Point in Clare is the venue for an international surfing event.
Irish and international surfers gather off the coast of County Clare for a week-long semi-professional surfing contest. The event is taking place at three beach locations around Spanish Point.
Spanish Point, County Clare, one of the world's best surfing locations.
With surfing in Ireland largely dictated by weather conditions, the Sony Ericsson Coldwater Clash kicked off this morning at 7.00 am.
Tournament director Brian Nevin says the event is a hugely significant competition for Ireland.
Easkey Britton from Donegal is Ireland's female champion surfer and has travelled extensively to compete at international events. She says that in order to be a good surfer, you need to travel and compete with people at a high level.
Liam Joyce, a champion surfer from New Zealand, describes the sport as an addiction, a bug that you catch from a young age that turns into a way of life.
Everything I do now is based in some sense around surfing.
The week-long competition will culminate in a special prize-giving ceremony on the beach at Spanish Point.
The surfing ties in with the Cois Farraige Music Festival taking place in Kilkee featuring bands such as Supergrass and Travis.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 September 2008. The reporter is Teresa Mannion.
