The surfing pioneer born in a lighthouse

 

This is the house where Joe Roddy was born in the 1930s.
As a member of the famous Roddy lightkeeping dynasty that began with his great-grandfather, born around 1811, it is unsurprising that his entrance into the world should be at a lighthouse, in this case Roches Point at the entrance to Cork harbour.
Joe's dad was Pat Roddy, keeper 292, born in 1994 and subsequently retired in 1954. By the time Joe was a teenager, the family had relocated back to their ancestral home in Dundalk, where great-grandad Joe had worked as an assistant, second-class, which meant he had no lodgings provided, as he lived local, but was also immune from transfer. He was probably the first lightkeeper at Dundalk. when it was established in 1855.

Dundalk, one of three pile lights in Ireland successfully built by blind engineer Alexander Mitchell

In 1949, surfing was practically unheard of in Ireland. The 14-year-old Joe saw a picture of a surfer out in California and was determined to try and emulate the man riding the waves. Using old tea-chests and leftover lighthouse paint, he built himself a 16 foot surfboard and went out into Dundalk Bay to try it out. 
Along a nearby beach, people were strolling, arm in arm. Kids were playing in or near the water. Suddenly, there was a gasp and an arm pointing. Everybody turned to look and a hush fell on the busy strand. Heading in towards the beach, as if walking on water like Christ, was this boy ...


Left - 14 year old Joe with his original 16-foot surfboard. Right - Joe took to the water in Tramore in 2009, sixty years since he surfed into history, and 57 years since he last surfed

It is generally accepted that Bray surfer Kevin Cavey single-handedly popularised the sport in Ireland in the early 1960s but Joe Roddy was probably the original pioneer.
It is said that Joe worked in Dundalk for Irish Lights for a while before he became a lightkeeper in England. But it didn't last long and he returned to Ireland and started bringing tourists to Skellig Michael from Portmagee. He did this for 50 years, estimating he must have made 10,000 trips to the island. Doing the maths, that works out at 200 trips a year, which seems improbably high, but I'm not in the habit of arguing with surfing pioneers.


Joe Roddy at the helm of his boat in Portmagee. He died in 2019 aged over 80.


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