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2026 Diary Dates
Hugh thanks to all those who helped with our various club events and activities in 2025. Thanks to your efforts and those who supported these events we had a great year of orienteering.
2026 is an exciting year for Cork Orienteering Club, as we will be hosting the Irish Orienteering Championships on the Sheep's Head Peninsula over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
The IOC 2026 sub-committee are busy planning the events and logistics for this great championship weekend. We are also looking for volunteers to help out with various tasks over the three championship days, see further details below on how to register your interest and get involved.
As well as IOC 2026 we hope this will be another memorable year for our club and the committee have been busy putting together a full program of pursuits for the new year. We have lots of exciting events and activities planned for 2026 so here are some key dates to mark in your 2026 orienteering diaries.
Our first event in 2026 was on a brand new map in Midleton Town and was a great success. So huge thanks to Josh, Mariya and Paul for planning and staging this event.
CORKO STRENGTH and CONDITIONING
We've enlisted the expertise of a professional trainer to provide a series of Strength and Conditioning classes. The weekly sessions will focus on improving flexibility and balance. The training is specially geared to running helping to avoid injuries and improve your strength and stride. A great way to build up your strength for this year Irish Orienteering Championships.
The classes are with a professional trainer in Fitnessworx gym on the Tramore Road.
When: 7pm on Monday evenings
Start-date: Monday 5th January
Duration: 12 weeks
MUNSTER URBAN LEAGUE
ML#2: Lismore, Waterford Sunday January 18th
Enter here: https://www.orienteering.ie/fixtures/lismore/
ML#3: Cork City, Cork Sunday February 2nd
Enter Here: https://www.orienteering.ie/fixtures/cork-city-centre-2/
SOUTHWEST LEAGUE
The Southwest league organised between CorkO, BOC and KerryO will continue in 2026 and we are delighted to announce that our first Southwest League event will also be a joint Leinster League and will take place in Ballydrehid and Ballydavid, Tipperary on Sunday February 15th.
Other dates include:
Southwest League Kilworth Ranges, Sunday December 13th
IRISH ORIENTEERING SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday AM 21st March: Irish Open Sprint Orienteering Championships - University of Limerick
Saturday PM 21st March: Two Person Sprint Relay - University of Limerick
Sunday 22nd March: Open Urban Event - Limerick City
Enter Here:
https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=16999
Note early bird entry fee available until JANUARY 18TH
Further Event Details:
https://ioc.orienteering.ie/irish-sprint-orienteering-champs
IRISH ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday 2nd May: Middle Distance Sheep's Head Peninsula, Cork
Sunday 3rd May: Classic Distance Sheep's Head Peninsula, Cork
Monday 4th May: Relay Sheep's Head Peninsula, Cork
Enter Here:
https://fabian4.co.uk/default.aspx?EventID=4146
Early Bird entry fees, which will be available until MARCH 23RD
Event Website
https://ioc.orienteering.ie/irish-orienteering-champs
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
As you can imagine, hosting IOC 2026 is a huge undertaking for our club. We expect to have up to 400 orienteers taking part on this physically demanding terrain. We need your help! CorkO has a long tradition of hosting high-quality, international standard orienteering events. I hope with your help that IOC2026 can continue in that tradition.
As a CorkO member or associate, I ask that you please let us know if you and/or your family or friends can commit to being part of our team of volunteers. Subsidised club accommodation will be available in Kilcrohane. If you wish to take part in the competition itself, we will try to assign a role that allows you to volunteer before/after your run.
Please fill in the form on the site below if you and/or your family or friends are available to help out
https://ioc.orienteering.ie/volunteer
SUMMER LEAGUE
The 2026 Summer League will kick off on Tuesday May 19th and run until July 21st. Each week we will be orienteering in a different forest or park in and around Cork city and county.
Our summer series is a great way to enjoy the long summer evenings with family, friends or colleagues.
It is also ideal for beginners and families new to our sport as we will have experienced club members on hand at each event to show them the ropes.
Summer League Fixtures
PREQUEL Tramore Valley Park, Cork Tuesday May 19th
SL#1 Currabinny Wood, Ringaskiddy Tuesday May 26th
SL#2 Doneraile Forest Park, Doneraile Tuesday June 2nd
SL#3 Ballincollig Region Park, Ballincollig Tuesday June 9th
SL#4 James Fort, Kinsale Tuesday June 16th
SL#5 Blackrock, Cork Tuesday June 23rd
SL#6 Ballyannon Wood, Midleton Tuesday June 30th
SL#7 Mallow Town Park, Mallow Tuesday July 7th
SL#8 Glenbower Wood, Killeagh Tuesday July 14th
SL#9 Fota House and Gardens, Fota Tuesday July 21st
AUTUMN LEAGUE
The 2026 Autumn League will commence at the end of August and run for four weeks. It will include the Annual Cliona Callanan Memorial Orienteering event in Doneraile Park in September to help raise funds for Cork Children's Leukemia Association.
Autumn League Fixtures
AL#1 Farren Forest Park, Coachford Tuesday August 25th
AL#2 Cork Showgrounds, Curraheen Tuesday September 1st
AL#3 Warrenscourt, Lissarda Tuesday September 8th
AL#4 Doneraile Forest Park, Doneraile Sunday September 13th
AL#5 UCC Campus, Cork City Tuesday September 22nd
JUNIOR ADVENTURE RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Adventure Racing Ireland is inviting expressions of interest from young endurance athletes aged between 16-18 years to be considered for selection to represent Ireland at the Junior Adventure Racing World Championship, taking place in Québec, Canada, from 23–26 July 2026.
This landmark event marks the first ever Junior World Championship in adventure racing and offers a unique opportunity for young athletes to compete internationally as part of a national team.
Full details can be found here:
https://adventureracing.ie/junior/
CLUB PARTICIPATION
Orienteering is the adventure sport for all. The clubs goal is to promote orienteering as an outdoor sport that can be enjoyed by families, hikers, bikers, social walkers, social runners, serious runners, adventure racers and anyone who loves the outdoors.
We encourage people who enjoy orienteering and who participate regularly to join Cork Orienteering Club.
Staging all these events takes a lot of mapping, planning and organising as well as lots of advertising and promotion to foster participation to make these successful club events.
We encourage all club members to get involved in club activities so if you are willing to help in anyway with the staging or promotion of any of the events/activities listed above please do get in touch.
We are always looking for members to join the committee and bring fresh ideas to the table. If this is something that would interest you please e-mail us or talk to us at any of our upcoming events.
The club is for our members and many hands make light work and will ensure our club continues to grow and flourish into the future.
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