Ireland’s Southeast Fest
Southeast Fest has turned into one of the biggest freestyle events in Ireland, and it just keeps growing. Between a women’s development camp, a Boater X, and a freestyle comp, there’s something for everyone. It’s become one of those summer weekends you don’t want to miss if you paddle in Ireland. Béibhin Butler shares with us how this summer’s edition went.
This year marked the 5th anniversary of Southeast Fest, and we wanted the celebration to be bigger and better than ever. We extended the event into four full days of freestyle fun on the river in Clonmel – and it definitely delivered!
We kicked off on Thursday and Friday with our performance camp with the legendary Jacko Jackson, supported by Southeast Freestyle coaches. With creative challenges and endless possibilities on our new feature, paddlers pushed themselves with big tricks and combos, showcasing just how bright the future of Irish Freestyle really is.
« Jacko’s camp was epic, filled with amazing coaching and unforgettable moments » – Luke Bermingham
Saturday saw one of Ireland’s largest-ever freestyle development days and a hugely successful Women in Sport Day. Paddlers of all ages and levels travelled from across the country to progress their skills with an inspiring lineup of coaches, including Irish Freestyle team members and Jacko. With 70 paddlers out on the water, this marked a huge milestone for our community.
“It was amazing to see the enthusiasm and drive everyone had to learn and have fun on the water” – Kirsten Hand Howard
On Sunday, the spotlight shifted to the competition, Freestyle took place on the new feature while the Boater X course ran around it, creating a spectacular dual showcase. Freestyle ran in a jam-style format followed by ICF-style finals. Taking inspiration from Natural Games, each paddlers’ top three tricks, combos, or links counted toward their score in the jam. This twist pushed paddlers to go big, resulting in some of the most exciting rides we’ve ever seen at Southeast Fest.
“As someone who’s invested much of my life in freestyle, it was hugely inspiring to see Southeast Fest bring together youth paddlers, pro athletes, and community leaders in such an energetic, collaborative way – a real positive step for the future of the sport” – Jacko Jackson
The freestyle finals were incredible to watch, with highlights such as David McClure battling Mark Kearney and Ben Higson to settle the Men’s podium and Beibhin Butler, Leah Hough, and Eidin Dowling delivering a thrillingly close contest for the Women’s podium. Alongside the expert finals, the juniors, intermediates and masters performances highlighted the incredible standard across all categories. We’re thrilled to see our new feature prove to be a summer hotspot capable of producing world-class freestyle. With too many to name, we wish our thanks to the incredible freestyle community here in Ireland that made this event possible.
Words: Béibhin Butler | Photography: Nancy Geary & Luke Bermigham
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