Tullaghan (Leitrim) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Tullaghan over the next couple weeks. Honestly, things are looking pretty grim for the most part. The whole sixteen-day stretch is a real desert for decent waves, but I'll break it down for you.

Right off the bat, we're looking at a long dry spell. From now through to about the end of August, it's all small, messy, or wind-affected junk. The first glimmer of anything worthwhile doesn't show up until the very last day of the forecast period, on Monday, 31st August. That’s a good two-week gap of nothing but poor conditions.

Starting off, the water at Tullaghan (Leitrim) is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 62°, almost 3° above the norm. That's notable, but it's about the only positive for a while. From Sunday the 16th right through the rest of the month, we're dealing with tiny to small swell – mostly under 3 feet – with a mix of cross-shore and onshore winds. The combined wave energy on these days is weak, often under 100, showing just how little power there is. Even when the swell bumps up a bit around the 18th and 19th, with energy readings into the hundreds (like 229 on Tuesday morning and 1184 on Wednesday morning), the wind is a mess, blowing cross-onshore from the WSW or W. The wave quality remains poor and the conditions are lumpy and chopped out.

Towards the end of August, the swell gets a bit bigger, hitting 8 ft on the 29th, but with onshore winds howling, it’s just a big, messy wall of water – far from ideal and only for the hardcore, if that. The energy is strong, hitting over 1800, but the quality is all wrong. That lift in swell is too big and blown out.

The only real standout, and the one I'd call the best on offer, is that Monday afternoon, 31st August. After all that nothing, we finally get a pulse of 6 ft swell from the west, with a period of 10 seconds, giving us moderate wave energy (625). The wind goes glassy-light, coming from the south at just 3 mph, making it a light offshore for this spot. It's going to be clean. The raw data actually says "expect good surf conditions" for that window. The rating for the overall pattern and the specific day’s conditions is the highest we see. It's been a long wait, so if you can make that session, it might just be worth the patience. Scores are a solid 2 out of 10, which for this outlook is a miracle. There’s even a chance the slight offshore might keep the crowd at bay, but Tullaghan can get busy sometimes on a clean day.

Before that, there’s nothing. Don't bother. The setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on the windy days with significant swell and poor quality.

Stay patient.

- Rusty

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