



Surfing in Ireland goes hand in wetsuit glove. The Emerald Isle is more than lush pastures and panning shots of horses that we've grown accustomed to seeing out of any web-bound edit from those frigid shores. But this edit isn't that. This is the real side of one of Ireland's most electrifying surfers– and it seems he's just getting started.

This is a three part deep-dive in to Gearoid McDaid's story, his roots in performance surfing, competing in the global arena and stepping it up in heaving Irish waters.

If you don't know, Gman's up there with some of the best barrel riders in the world but he also has a name that is widely (and wildly) misinterpreted. He's the man with a thousand names, Geer-oid, Geeeroud, G, Garyd.. we've heard it all. The trick? Think Garage and you're almost there – but we'll let Gman explain that in the video above.

In episode 1, we retrace the steps that set Gearoid on his surfing trajectory, running through just how a young lad from Sligo quickly became a household name in Irish surfing. Of course, the road's been long – but Gman's got his family, friends and the entire Irish community behind him.

Filmed and edited by Clem McInerney. Cover shot by Conor Flanagan