Adventures on the wheels of steel
December 13, 2007 @ 5:49 PM
Get in the van.
And so the story begins…. a Volkswagen camper van with an exhaust hanging on by a clothes hanger somehow made a voyage across Europe from its home in Austria all the way to some of the most rural and breathtaking parts of Ireland. Inside it were Conhuir Lynn and Dominic Dietrich, two men who have consistently blown up together in the international skateboarding world over the past few years.
Two men who are clearly very close friends. Any two men who can handle each others tweeks, smells and fucked up accents in such close quarters over a few weeks have got to be solid as a rock. I joined them in Dublin and went on the road with them for a few days to almost all 4 corners of my homeland. This trip was raw, unplanned and completely spontaneous. You should try it someday, it works a treat.
I think growing up in Belfast Conhuir was raised on a strict diet of beatdowns and stale soda-bread which has seriously helped shape him into the grizzly beast he is today. I’ve known young Clynn since he first showed up at a comp in Cork and killed it, aged eleven, having been driven there by his ma for 7 hours (Mrs. Lynn- we salute you!!) Dominic on the other hand has obviously been on a serious steroid program since the age of 4, and he seems to be able to eat for Austria.
Watching them skate is like Arnie and George Best out on a serious bender, it’s obviously very entertaining to watch but you are best to just keep your distance at the same time. They have POWER when they skate and a knack for not fucking around just going for it totally committed to whatever it is they put their mind to. Two of Europe’s finest exports if you ask me and they still have plenty of time on their side too. Don’t let the beards, tats and ability to drink and smoke like Shane McGowan fool you though, these lads are still relatively young guns. The world is theirs and they ain’t taking no for an answer.
Dominic can cook a good fucking meal out of basically anything, and to me this says a lot about a man- it can go one of two ways I find: either you are a hard working tough guy who has had to fend for himself or you tend to be a bit of a fairy with very girlie looking hands. Our Dom, though, is far from fairy. Arnie summed it up well in the film Predator when he said “If it bleeds, we can kill it." I think this could be Dominic’s philosophy for life. He has really got a wise head on his shoulders and is just a good dude to be around. A humble character whose actions speak louder than his words.
We travelled far and wide sleeping in carparks, beaches and even got to spend a night in my granny’s old house in Tramore. Every night we played guitars into the early hours and we all suffered the wrath of Conhuir’s younger brother, Denis. This guy may be only 14 years old but he can make a grown man cry. He will shut you down like no-one else. Such a cool lad to be around though and is so much fun to skate with too. The kid’s got his own steez and a loudmouth to go nicely with it.
A week on the road with only a map and a bunch of friends in tow is something every skateboarder should experience at least once. Everyday stresses and strains go out the window and you just end up running on instinct and the stoke of the open road. Rob, beg or steal. Get out there and get some.
