Cold-Water Eden

An immersive memoir of a groundbreaking surfing career, and a stunning portrait of Ireland as one of the world’s most captivating big-wave surfing destinations. The west of Ireland is home to a stunning coastline that boasts mammoth waves equalled only by those in California and Hawaii, and Richie Fitzgerald has surfed the biggest, and most dangerous, of them.

Born and raised in Bundoran, Richie was Ireland’s first pro-surfer, putting the country on the map as a world-class destination for pros and soul surfers alike. Here he shares his unique perspective as an Irish surfer, from the halcyon days of exploring Ireland in search of untouched waves, to being the first European invited to the world’s most prestigious big-wave event in Hawaii.

Cold-Water Eden is a captivating memoir about a transcendent sport, but at its heart it’s a coming-of-age story about one man’s obsession with big waves, and the dawn of Ireland as a singular location on the global surf scene.