Septober News

With the Leinster, Northern Ireland and Munster Championships just around the corner, we’re starting to catch up with the bigger events we should have had last year.

               Part of Carnawaddy

Fingal are at last able to run 2020/21 Leinster Championships on 3rd October at Carnawaddy on the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth. Entries have closed but you can still enter NIOC on the Cavan/Fermanagh border on 16th October (see here) and and MOC on November 7th at Glenabo, Fermoy – more details later

                                Cushbawn

Other events coming up include a Leinster League at Cushbawn on 17th October, near Ballinaclash in south Wicklow – an area that hasn’t been used since 2018. The next Leinster League event is on 14th November at Oughaval near Portlaoise, an unusual largely beech forest which was also host to the Leinster Championships.

If you’re prepared to travel and you like urban orienteering, SEVO (South East Viking Orienteers, formerly Waterford Orienteers) are running urban events at Wexford (October 10th) and Thurles (October 17th). Details of all these are on the IOA Fixtures page here.

Congratulations to M18 Cuan Riordan who has been selected on the Junior Home International team for the JHI in the south of England on October 9/10. The team of M and W 14, 16 and 18’s will include a number of new Caps, running in an international competition for the first time: JHI is often that start of an orienteering journey which can lead to European Youth Championships, Junior World Championships and even World Championships.

                      Eoin – tired but happy!

On the international front, congratulations also to Colm and Clodagh Moran who were on the Irish team at the Senior Home International team for the event in Aberdeenshire on 4th/5th September. The event clashed with the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Turkey where M20 Aidan McCullough was flying the 3ROC flag. At the same time, his brother Eoin was showing off the 3ROC O-top at the Ultra-Trail Harricana in Quebec, where he finished 17th out of 406 runners in the 65 km/1870 m climb trail race in 7 hours 19 mins. Well done also to Valdas Tilunas who finished 2nd on the 18 km Long-O course at Bampton Common in the English Lake District on September 26th.

Events are still a bit slow appearing on the fixtures list in Leinster but we’re gradually getting back to full scale orienteering. We’ll be publicising the 3ROC events here shortly but expect some local events, night events and league events in the mix.

In the meantime, take advantage of the events that are on and enjoy them. See you in the forest!