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Irish cold-water surfing, by the people who do it best

Common Ground

Common Ground

Common Ground - A Finisterre Film by Luke Pilbeam Featuring - Easkey Britton, Tom Kay, Sandy Kerr, Noah Lane, Fergal Smith and Matt Smith Produced by - David Gray, Tom Kay and Matt Smith Music by - Federico Durand https://finisterre.com/common-ground November saw the team gather for the first time deep in NW Ireland. For some this was the first meet, for others a welcome reunion of familiar faces. We walked far, ate well, surfed hard and lived for a while, sharing stories. Every one of us had been introduced to the sea by our parents, be they surfers, farmers, teachers or sailors. The conversation moved onto how it had shaped our lives, and shed light on what may lie in our futures. A lot went on in 2016 for the Finisterre Ambassadors. Fergal Smith stood as a candidate in last year’s Irish General Election and worked up on the Moy Hill Community Farm, showing us how to reconnect to the land. Noah Lane continued to push the boundaries of cold water surfing, winning the Wave of the Winter. Our team manager Matt Smith co-founded Backwash, a print anthology about surf and culture, as well as Hometree, an Irish re-forestation initiative. Easkey Britton finished her doctorate and founded Waves of Freedom. Sam Bleakley also finished his PhD, flying to all corners of the globe using surfing to affect change and deliver a positive social impact. Newcomer Sandy Kerr got engaged to his childhood sweetheart Rachel, bought a house and is spreading the word of surf and healthy living to younger generations in the North East. We left with a further shared sense of purpose and common ground, excited to see where our paths take us in 2017 and beyond.

vimeo.com
Huck x Finisterre — Finisterre brings together five surf pioneers – and their incredible stories – on the northwest coast of Ireland for a dreamy new surf short.

In the new Finisterre film, Common Ground, ambassadors Easkey Britton, Noah Lane, Matt Smith, Sandy Kerr and Fergal Smith met for the first time to score some waves and talk about their backgrounds, goals for the future and their shared love of the ocean.

Finisterre’s mission remains the same as it ever was: Working to better cater for cold water adventurers and surfers. And that mission is reflected in their ambassadors and the challenges they overcome.

Surf cinematographer Luke Pilbeam shot the Finisterre surfers navigating the dramatic Irish ocean, in beautiful black-and-white footage, and each rider reflected on a storied 2016.

For people like Fergal Smith, it was a year spent running for public office in Ireland and reconnecting with his land at Moy Hill Community Farm.

For others like, Easkey Britton, it was a year spent completing her doctorate and founding Waves of Freedom, an organisation that wants to channel surfing for positive surfing change.

Each ambassador is different, but they all connect around the ocean and the social values that follow from that world perspective.

Find out more about Common Ground here. 

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© 2026 A. B. Bell
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