Inis Oírr

in February 2022, a group from inis oírr, the smallest of irelands aran islands, consisting of a core group of four kids, got in contact with us about a potential skatepark for the island through the islands co op. we travelled out to meet the kids and locals about what could be done, and from there a plan was formed to make a skatepark in one of the commonage areas of the island, often owned by over 60 different farmers and used for whatever purpose best suits the community. the initial idea was to get a temporary or short term skatepark so that the kids had a safe place to skate, as the main skate spot was a hill which many cars and tractors would pass per day. As funding and planning permission can take many years to create a skatepark, we came to the conclusion that the best approach was to fundraise money for materials and we would build obstacles that summer so that the kids could learn about building, planning, fundraising and ultimately have a safe place to skate. Alice Quinn Banville then set up a workshop so that we could teach the kids on the island during the build all about what goblin is and what we do with skateboarding. many zoom meetings and idea’s later, We set up a go fund me page which reached its target after three weeks, where we then got to work by ordering materials and designing the ramp. with the help of Mary Nally & chloe O’Malley, on may 23rd, a group of volunteer skateboarders travelled to the island to begin work, and five days later the ramp was skate-able and each of the kids were dropping in right away. It was unveiled for drop everything during the Saturday night to a large crowd from skaters, builders, artists, musicians, mammies and daddies etc where the kids treated us to a live performance of traditional music.

our crew helped with the kids initial fears about the drop in, guided them through each stage of the process and by the next week they were all comfortable dropping in on every part of the ramp, even doing slash grinds, rock fakies and tailstalls. the atmosphere around the whole project was incredible, every day islanders would come visit and have a chat, all in good spirits and gratitude. drinks and food were gifted every day to the crew working throughout the heat, wind and occasional rain.

the ramp had to take into consideration many different environmental factors due to its exposed location on the edge of the atlantic. marine plywood, treated timber, a fully suspended floor system, silicone sealant and even a roofing felt under the top layer were all included which allowing the ramp to sit on a slight fall to let the rainwater run off with ease. as skateboarders, we see how long it can take for a skatepark to be built, and unfortunately, by the time it is built many of the people who advocated it have moved on, and within that period of time many children miss out on the opportunity to use a skate park. we hope this can be an example for the rest of the country as a quick, affordable stop gap measure to a more permanent solution, one which involves the local community with the best outcome of the kids at the centre of it all and cuts out the lengthy processes needed to get a permanent skatepark.

photo’s by mark Mcguinness above & Bruno Nally below