As the Web Summit ended, about 200 of us got on busses for Westport, Co Mayo, a cozy town on the West coast in throwing distance of adventure sports and outdoor activities. On the docket were a few talks by various professional surfers, politicians (the Taoiseach himself!), lots of drink, meeting new people, hiking, and of course…surfing.
Yours truly with eyes closed chatting with the Taoiseach about something or other. Unlike American politicians, much of what happens *outside* of work remains off the record, leading to a lot more spontaneous fun!
Mega-wave surfer Andrew Cotton in an Elf-influenced jumper talking about how he has no secret for dealing with being eaten by a very big wave. This guy has surfed some insane stuff.
Saturday was a day of kiteboarding, surfing, zorbing (have a read if it is also new to you!), Hunger Games-style archery and a few other sports.
Sun morning a few late risers (pictured above, with Aisling at far left, then me, then two guys from Achill Island, then Monica, Vinnie and an agro-sheep) made the trek to the top of Croagh Patrick. Pilgrims make a barefoot climb en masse to the summit to honor St Patrick every July.
I love post-conference events, and there aren’t enough of them. They are a great way to get to know people in a non-networkie environment. It’s a great way to decompress, forge new relationships and generally take stock of the few preceding days of frenetic activity.
Post-employment 