Success at Irish Orienteering Championships

Over the May Bank Holiday weekend, Kerry Orienteers and Cork Orienteering Club welcomed a record number of participants to the annual Irish Orienteering Championships. This included a healthy number of traveling British Orienteering members making the trip over from mainland Britain or south from clubs in Northern Ireland.

Muckross House Estate was the beautiful setting for the Friday evening Sprint, which saw fast running through tended gardens and woodland. An intricate network of pathways through a rockery was a ‘highlight’.

Some notable overall results from our members were:

M10 Aran Power, 1st and Cillian Lynch, 3rd, both of Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M21 Paul Pruzina, 3rd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M45 Nick Barrable, 1st South Yorkshire Orienteers.

M55 Charlie Adams, 3rd South Yorkshire Orienteers.

M60 Michael Burton, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M70 Wilbert Hollinger, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W16 Anastasia Maglich, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W21 Katie Reynolds, 1st Swansea Bay Orienteering Club and Helen Ockenden, 3rd Drongo.

W40 Susan Lambe, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W45 Moira O’Sullivan, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W60 Margaret Reynolds, 2nd Swansea Bay Orienteering Club, and Louise Dunn 3rd Lakeland Orienteering Club.

W70 Barbara Foley-Fisher, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers, and Teresa Finlay, 3rd Fermanagh Orienteers.

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On Saturday we were taken deep into the Kerry hills to enjoy open hill running for the middle-distance race at Cappanalea. The planner and terrain made for a challenging start before competitors got into their stride and enjoyed a great run, in perfect conditions.

Some notable overall results from our members were:

M10 Aran Power, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M18E Ben Cairns, 3rd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M21 Paul Pruzina, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M45 Nick Barrable, 1st South Yorkshire Orienteers.

M55 Billy Reed, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers, and Charlie Adams, 3rd South Yorkshire Orienteers.

M60 Robbie Bryson, 1st Fermanagh Orienteers.

W12 Orla Lynch, 3rd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W21E Katie Reynolds, 1st Swansea Bay Orienteering Club and Helen Ockenden, 2nd Drongo.

W40 Susan Lambe, 2nd and Lesley Young 3rd both of Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W45 Moira O’Sullivan, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W55 Janet Adams, 1st South Yorkshire Orienteers.

W60 Margaret Reynolds, 1st Swansea Bay Orienteering Club.

W65 Stella Lewsley 1st Border Liners.

W70 Teresa Finlay, 2nd Fermanagh Orienteers.

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The Classic Race took was raced over a mixture of open hill with detailed contours and through challenging forested areas at Crohane Lake. Unlike the rest of the dry weekend, a little rain threatened but fortunately didn’t amount to much allowing for clear running.

Some notable overall results from our members were:

M10 Cillian Lynch, 1st and Aran Power, 3rd both of Lagan Valley Orienteers.

M21E Ben Stevens, 3rd Drongo.

M45 Nick Barrable, 2nd South Yorkshire Orienteers.

M55 Charlie Adams, 2nd South Yorkshire Orienteers.

W16 Anastasia Maglich, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W21E Katie Reynolds, 3rd Swansea Bay Orienteering Club.

W40 Susan Lambe, 2nd Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W45 Moira O’Sullivan, 1st Lagan Valley Orienteers.

W55 Janet Adams, 2nd South Yorkshire Orienteers.

W60 Margaret Reynolds, 1st Swansea Bay Orienteering Club.

W65 Stella Lewsley, 1st Border Liners.

W70 Teresa Finlay, 3rd Fermanagh Orienteers.

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On the last day of the competition, the Relays were held in the estate of Knockeer House in Killarney. For those who had anything left in their legs, there were fast areas of parkland as well as some steeper slopes to negotiate.

Some notable overall results from our members were:

Women’s Premier, Lagan Valley orienteers, 2nd, just losing out to the winners by 4 seconds.

Handicap 6, Airenteers, 1st.

Handicap 12, Lagan Valley Orienteers, 3rd.

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Photograph source: Irish Orienteering Championships (IOC) 2022.

Credit:  Harry Bell of the IOC

Irish and British Championship double weekend next year!

Well done to all those who competed and enjoyed some great running along with the hospitality of Kerry Orienteers and Cork Orienteering Club.

Next year the Irish Championships will be held over this early May Bank Holiday weekend in the Dublin area. The following weekend a short trip north will bring you to Armagh and the Mournes where Northern Ireland Orienteering Association will be hosting the British Sprint and Middle-Distance Championships. For those who are planning on coming over and staying for both weekends, Lagan Valley Orienteers plan to organise mid-week activities to keep you ticking over. This double weekend of competition is definitely one to consider putting in the diary now.