You are a great advocate for mixing business with pleasure. Do you agree?

I'd like to call myself a businessman, but I don't quite think I fit the bill! Surfing is my main passion in life and I feel very lucky to be able to work in the same field.

So what have you been working on recently?

I have been working on two different, but equally interesting and exciting projects for the last year. The first is our new surf clothing brand Irish Surf Culture (ISC) which we launched here in Ireland and the USA this year. The concept behind the clothing and designs is to mix ancient Celtic and ocean imagery with more contemporary Irish surf designs. So I feel this is a unique concept in the industry. The second project I have been working on is a documentary film in conjunction with Inis Films, Besom Productions and the BBC. It will feature top Irish and International surfers in Ireland, Hawaii and California. It's due to have a theatrical release next autumn '07.

Why did you decide to go into the surfing industry?

When I started surfing back in the mid '80s there were way less surfers in the country than you have now. I was lucky to have had an older brother and sister who surfed before me, so I got all the hand-me-down bits of boards and wetsuits. I competed at a young age and made the Irish junior team at age 15. From then until I was 22 I competed regularly at home and abroad both individually and for the national team. Due to the lack of surfing gear available in Ireland in the 80's my family decided to set up a small surf shop, Surfworld, in Bundoran in 1990. It was very basic and we started by selling the bare essentials for surfing like wax, leashes and repair kits. Since those early days, surfing and the surf industry has grown hugely in Ireland. Our surf shop has also expanded in size and product. I have become more involved with the running of the business side over the last 8 years.

How do you make money being a professional surfer?

At the moment I don't do any contests. I have gotten to the industry, promotion and media side of surfing a lot more. In addition to working in SurfWorld, I also write for several surfing magazines and I have been involved in many surfing Ireland productions.

Is it important to pursue other avenues in the industry like you did with your clothing line and media work?

For me I think it has been very important to pursue other avenues. I really enjoy being involved in the media and promotion side of surfing. The ISC clothing has been great. I feel the rapped growth of Irish surfing over the last 10 years has open up a lot more opportunity. Irish surfing has received an unprecedented amount of coverage in the media in the last few years. I have been lucky enough to have gotten some great opportunities on the back of this popularity.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

I think representing Ireland at three European and three World surfing championships in the 90's would be my competitive highlight. Being involved in the US hit surf movie 'Step into Liquid', back in 2003 was a great experience.

What was the best bit of career advice you've ever received?

A mate of mine in the industry who I have huge respect for gave me the simple piece of advice which I have always keep with me in success and failure, 'Never give up'.

Finally, how realistic is it for an Irish person to pursue a professional career in surfing?

I think when I was younger there was no possibility to pursue a professional career. Now the surfing standard and the surf industry has grown so much in Ireland that professional career is realistic and young surfers countrywide are doing it. Take for example Ireland's top pro's like Mikey Morgan (Bundoran), Kain Killkullan (Sligo) and Fergal Smith (Mayo) are being paid by companies to surf and compete. I think one of the strongest growth areas in Irish surfing has been in female involvement in the sport. Girls of all ages are getting in on the act and more and more Irish women every year jumping on boards and catching waves.

I feel this is a great addition to what has been traditional looked on as a male dominated sport. Rossnowlagh local surfer girl Easkey Britton just won the '06 (British Professional Surfing Association) series last weekend. Along with fellow Donegal female surfers Nicole Morgan (Bundoran) and Shauna Ward (Bundoran), they are ranked as the top three in the UK and Ireland this week. Now that's something to be very proud of.