Surf Café cookbook, Strandhill style

   A surf cookbook you ask? And I answer yes surfing and cooking can go together especially for this well laid out book incorporating the ocean and easy to make delicious recipes for everyone and the surfed out hungry surfer. Not only seafood recipes but some great Irish recipes are found in there like the Guinness and beef stew that I miss soooo much, different ways to make a classic potatoe mash and some good old fashioned Irish bread recipes. These are just a few of what's in the book.

   Also I'm very proud to say some of my photos are scattered amongst the tasty pages. When I was first contacted about using some of my surfing images I was a bit confused about it all, but once Louise illustrated the idea it all made perfect sense. The book is reflected on Shells Café, the owners Jane & Myles Lamberth, fresh organic Irish produce & of course Shells Café is located at the centre of my heart, Strandhill. Once again Strandhill delivers inspiration for great things, as I have always said it is a magical place & it has produced another piece of magic. GO buy the book, it's a must have for any kitchen. Buy it here.

   Thanks to the editor Louise Searle for involving me in the book, Jane & Myles I'm honored to have been part of this & I can hardly wait to get back to Strandhill some day and try some of your beautiful food in Shells with a few of my mates talking about surf, classic.

www.thesurfcafecookbook.com

Photo: Andrew Kilfeather

Stoked

Got an email from Paul @ Strandhill surf school saying he wanted to use 1 of my photos to put above his shop. I just got a photo of it and holy shit it's huge, so you could say I'm stoked to say the least. There's no other place in the world I'd rather have one of  my photos displayed. It's amazing how a small coastal town in the west of little old Ireland can change your life forever, simply amazing...

"Welcome to Sligo", hell yeah Strandhill style

My time in Ireland

Here's a few shots of my life in Ireland, that to me are important and others life changing. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
cheers and fairwell
Aaron

Zoolander party in Strandhill

Halloween party in Strandhill

Mum & Dad visit

My very first surf photo with a digital camera

Just good mates

The bro visits and my photo in the best bar in the world...The Strand of course

The big swell, that whitewater is at least 200ft high!!

My first ever Tow photo, Cotty the man at Aileens...the passion starts

The legends of Strandhill

"PROWLERS"

My first outing in a boat to shoot, Tom DH at Aileens

Rileys

The Surfer's Path does an article on me, such an honour, cheers Alex

Rolling Stones

Up close & personal at U2

Paul O'Kane, first time Prowlers surfed in early 2009

Mikee Hamilton charging big Mullaghmore

My fairwell party, Strand bar

Prowlers pumping top to bottom

Cotty at Prowlers

My first surfing magazine cover, cheers Cotty

What a send off...

I had a speech in my noggin all sorted it for my farewell party, but when I stood up and turned to everyone who had came out, all I could say was "Shit". I nearly lost it and had to try and pull myself together. I never dreamed this many people would turn up. Finally a few words came out and we started the slideshow. Everyone was hooting and with the odd "ohhhh noooooo" for the wipeouts. We then proceeded to have a few drinks, maybe 1 or 2 too many for most as the surf was good the next day but most stayed in bed. At one stage every corner I turned in the pub a shot of god knows what was put in me hand. It was so cool talking to everyone and partying it up, a long time coming. I've always respected Strandhill and what this little beautiful seaside town stands for ever since I first drove around Knocknarea back in August 2000. Thank you so much everyone for making it an extra special nite, a nite I will never forget. It was great to get the whole gang out in the Strand again. Here's a couple of shots courtesy of me good mate John Heffernan.(by the way that was your fault for the jagermeisters as I had to pay you back for that stomach churning drink you made me have hahaha)

 When I thought my time was over here in Ireland and I could just chill out for a few days, a swell came in that we've been waiting for for 5 years. Conditions were pretty much perfect. I had written off "Prowlers" for me as there was only just over a week for me left in Ireland. The timing of it was uncanny and surreal. Only 4 hrs sleep was had over the last 2 nights, so I wasn't feeling the greatest. But there was no way we were going to miss this. Prowlers was beyound expectations breaking alot heavier than we all imagined, the slab only a few feet below as it drained off. Cotty was the test dummy and rode it with confidence and style. I can't really say too much more at this stage but Paul reckons he was gunning it at almost 60km/hr to flick the boys into the beast. Check out the Irish Times anyway, Cotty scored the front page, legend Cotty. Big respect to Andrew Cotton, Al Mennie, Paul O'Kane's insane driving, Richie Fitzgerald, Barry Mottershed, Jeremy Johnson and the boat driver Daniel. Thanks for the send off Ireland. Ireland and all the great people and surf will always be in my heart.
cheers
Aaron

Cotty going hard

The crew

Strandhill's Angels

Great to be back on the west

  Blimey, ever since I came back to the good old west coast it's been non stop. Within days of first arriving back I was sitting in a boat watching Aileens do her thing. A week later I was shooting the Easkey open for 2 days with the sun beaming down, and the surf was pumping! 2 days after that Mullaghmore reared it's head, allowing me to get a few snaps from the water angle with even more sunshine. Then yesterday was a cloudless day, I was thinking this can't get any better. Then along came today - I went for a bit of a drive to Glencar waterfall, as I was driving along I looked at the lake to see a perfect mirror image of the mountains. It was absolutely stunning, think I sat there for about 2 hours, enjoying the view, the sun and the chirping birds. Life is bloody great, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to all this.
  So here's a few shots from yeasterday and today

SIRF

It was a few years ago Allan Mulrooney and brothers Barry & David Mottershead started the Strandhill Indonesian Relief Fund to help rebuild schools in Java and help the communities out after a devastating earthquake not long after the Tsunami. Strandhill as a community poured their hearts and souls into it fundraising left, right and centre and getting 5 schools built. I had decided to give them my support as well by having people sponsor for how much weight i lost in 6 months and ended up raising enough for a school. So i would like to take this moment to personally thank everybody who supported SIRF and all the fundraising, hard work organising events and a huge thank you to the 3 lads for allowing us all to be part of it. Here is a video of the 5 schools that got rebuilt and as you can see the kids are so happy to have it. This i will never forget, seeing the video really hits home how lucky we are, i am just so stoked to have been part of it all.
Thank you
Aaron

SIRF visit Java Indonesia 2010 from Allan Mulrooney on Vimeo.

25th Annual Warriors Run

They have to run from here to the top of Knocknarea & back down to the start/finsh line on the seafront of Strandhill

Winner Josphat Boit
Congratulations!!

It was a great day & night had by all, the 25th anniversary of the Warriors Festival was held in brilliant sunshine with a sea breeze keeping the runners & walkers cool, nearly 800 runners turned up for the gruelling 15km run up Knocknarea, the biggest year of runners ever, the crowd was on there feet the whole time, with the 1st runner Jospaht Boit coming in at a record breaking 0:53:04 the crowd went mental, the 1st local home was Turlough Conway in 0:59:11. The 1st woman home was Anne Fitzpatrick in 1:14:54 & not far behind was the 1st local woman Aisling Cawley in 1:18:32. Lots of celebratory pints of Guinness went down afterwards with both the Strand bar & The Bellavista packed to the max with happy campers, there was a 10min display of fireworks which were amazing to watch in the clear calm night, congratulations to all the runners & walkers & hope to see you there next year.
For more info & finish times visit
www.warriorsfestival.com

Local surfer Aine came in at a very fast 1:23:53

Local Claire came in at a very respectable 1:34:46

Sligo open

Sligo Open Champion Aaron ReidRunner up Andrew Kilfeather

Gary Hall

It was a weekend of all sorts with howling onshore winds on the Saturday causing mayhem in the line up, then come Sunday lite offshores and a ever decreasing short period swell, they made the most of it thou and got the comp finished. Aaron Reid came up trumps to take the open and the U18, Andrew Kilfeather came 2nd in the open and won the longboard event. But if there was a entertainers trophy it would have to go to pint sized Gearad McDaid with his head stands, 360's and general fun antics, pleasing the crowd with clapping and laughter. A great day had by all.

Entertainer Gearad McDaid

Longboard Champion Andrew Kilfeather

John Coady