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Surfing film highlights Irish role in origins of sport
By Noreen Bowden | April 8, 2009
The role of Irish-American George Freeth in establishing the modern sport of surf-boarding is explored in a film now playing in movie theatres. Waveriders tells the story of Freeth, who had a Hawaiian mother and an Irish father. He brought the sport of surfing from Hawaii, where it had nearly been eliminated by missionaries, to California, where he initiated a revival of the sport. Freeth also set up the first lifeguard unit in California and introduced the sport of water polo to the state.
The film, which won the audience award at the Dublin International Film Festival, also highlights the role of Irish-Americans in establishing the sport in Ireland.
Related sites:
- Waveriders – the official website
- Tribune.ie: Film of the Week – Waveriders
- Independent: The Unheralded god who walked on water
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