Surflore, saltwater citizenship, and the commodification of surfing in Ireland : an exploration of renegotiated relations to surfing territories

In 2010 Ethna Murphy, Head of Leisure Tourism at Fáilte Ireland, declared surfing to be “one of [Ireland’s] good news stories” (McGreevy, 2010). This paper explores the ways in which surfing has become the focus of increased efforts within Ireland’s tourism development policies and strategies. It outlines the mental and physical markers of Irish surfing territories that have resulted from Fáilte Ireland’s goal to market the island as a prime cold water surfing destination. The paper briefly draws on mythopoetical readings to show how those markers borrow from a symbolic language and expressions of identity which are characteristic of Irish surfers’ cultural productions: an Irish surflore (Carey-Penot, 2021). A discussion of local surfers’ stances within the context of the commodification of their practice and cultural expressions then makes it possible to observe the emergence of new dynamics, most notably the surfers’ efforts to commit to their surfing territories in culturally and environmentally suitable ways. The paper draws on the concept of saltwater citizenship developed by David Whyte (2019) to show how, disarticulating and reconfiguring elements of community and citizenship, Irish surfers are redesigning their relationship with the ocean and their coastline.