Why linking up Ireland's iconic road trips is now easier than ever

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"Look forward, not down, Cathy. Use your arms,” shouts surf instructor Zuhé Coronil, who is determined to help get me on my feet. I take a deep breath, paddle, push up and wobble – but for at least half a second, I manage to stand up.

Zuhé whoops before I crash inelegantly into the water. I emerge grinning, ready to go again and eager to keep my balance for longer. I wade back out and wait for what Zuhé tells me is a “green wave” (a wave that’s not broken yet), which is the best type to surf on, he promises.

When I’d turned up at Sligo’s National Surf Centre in the village of Strandhill, I have to admit the last thing I felt like doing was squeezing myself into a wetsuit for a lesson, having spent the day exploring vast and rugged County Donegal at the tip of the Wild Atlantic Way.