From the archive: The skateboarding craze took up a number of column inches in the late 70s
The first person to write the word “skateboard” in The Irish Times was Maeve Binchy, in August 1977, in a feature about the decline of Brighton in England as a seaside resort: “There are bits of concrete where skateboards whizz around, and miles and miles of beach, stoney and shingle, not the sands of dream postcards, but at least it’s the beach, and all that much is free.” That October, an advertisement appeared in the newspaper: “SKATEBOARDS, Large quantities available. Agents and wholesalers required. Telephone Shaftesbury (England) 3913.”
In November 1977, the River Lagan in Belfast featured in Fionnuala O’Connor’s Inside Belfast column, in which she noted that near the newly built Shaw’s Bridge on a dry and frosty Sunday, “A flock of young skateboarders climbed the slope from the river to the Malone and ritually swished down, climbed again, swished again: God’s children, each and every one.”
A report by David McKittrick from Castlereagh Borough Council, which covered the suburbs of south-east Belfast noted: “Back inside, the councillors find themselves cast as reluctant killjoys. The landscaped walk at Newton Park, it turns out, is a perfect skateboarding run. Youngsters are swooping and swirling about at a great rate. But the kids are now coming from all over, becoming a nuisance and creating continual noise which is very hard to tolerate. Agreed: That obstacle be dug into the ground.”
By the time Christmas features were being written, skateboarding was very much top of the list. Marie Mullarney’s article on December 5th, 1977 – This years craze in toys – got straight to the point: “We may as well get this year’s craze out of the way first,” she started. “Skateboards cost from £11 to £50 each. Nothing less than £14 is worth buying, I’m told. But do not suppose you can get away with a mere £11. Riders of skateboards require protection for skulls and elbows; board, helmet and pads will run you up to £25.”
