Ajax Orienteering & Hill Running Club

Last weekend Ajax members Andrew McCarthy and Cian O’Reilly attended the two day TrailO Challenge at the National Trust property of Castleward Estate, Co. Down. The Irish TrailO Championships were held on the Saturday where two Classes were available: ITOC (for Irish Nationals and Residents) and the Visitor Class. The Defending Champion Cian narrowly missed out on the title again coming second to Stephen Gilmore (LVO). Winner of the Visitor Class on Day 1 was last years Bronze Medalist in the World TrailO Championship Jari Turto of Finland.
 
The Northern Ireland Championships were held on the Sunday and Andrew and Cian competed in the Visitor Class, while those from Northern Ireland competed in the NITOC Class. Today was Andrew’s day to excel and by making only 2 mistakes he won the Visitor Class while Wilbert Hollinger took the NITOC Title. Andrews impressive second day also moved him to the Top of the Two Day TrailO Challenge with a combined score of 33 points, pushing the aforementioned Jari Turto into second place. This result was impressive due to the high calibre of orienteers attending with the British Squad using the competition for the World Championships selection.   ....Cian O'Reilly 

ITOC Champion: Steven Gilmore (LVO)
NITOC Champion: Wilbert Hollinger (LVO)
2 Day TrailO Challenge Winner: Andrew McCarthy (Ajax)
 
Full Details : http://www.niorienteering.org.uk/lvo/trailo-2009/default....

Photo: National Trust, collection can be seen at .........

Castle Ward National Trust site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-castleward

Sunday March 15th, 2009
Start times from 11AM until 1PM

The competition area is an intricate sand dune system surveyed and mapped by Aonghus O'Cleirigh. Aonghus has recently extended the map northwards and so this year's event includes some areas that are new to orienteering. Aonghus is also planning the courses.

This event promises to be exciting, fast, complex and spectator friendly - don't miss it. Longer courses will have a map exchange.

Directions: Turn off the Clontarf road onto the causeway road -the assembly area is near the roundabout at O233370. There will be a signpost at the causeway road/clontarf road junction. Note: there is no access to the event via the wooden bridge at the south end of the island.

Dart, Cycle & Dublin Bus: The nearest Dart station is Raheny (2.75km). There is a cycle track along the Coast Road which is an ideal way to reach the event. Dublin Bus 130 runs every 15 minutes (Sunday Schedule) from Lower Abbey Street to the wooden bridge to the Island.

Here is an aerial view of the island and the surrounding area.

Parking: please do not park on the access road to the beach – use the tarmac road before the roundabout or the parking area on the beach itself.

SportIdent: All courses use SportIdent. There are no pin-punches on the controls. Rental SportIdent cards can be hired from registration and these must be handed back at the download station. You must download after finishing.

Course Planner’s Notes: The competition area consists of coastal sand-dune terrain without tree cover, mapped at a scale of 1:5,000 with a 2.5m contour interval. The north lines on the map are aligned at 45° to the edge of the paper. The dune features are relatively small with the highest point on the map being about eight meters above sea-level. Navigation is aided by man-made features – paths, buildings and other constructed objects. The area is used extensively by the public for recreational purposes. Only relatively distinct paths are mapped. The terrain is very runnable with a covering of various types of grasses. All courses cross freshwater marshes which are firm underfoot and easily passable. The map deviates from IOF mapping specification in that open sand is represented by 100% yellow. A line of telegraph poles running the length of the competition area has been omitted from the map in order not to over-simplify navigation.

Planner:  Aonghus O'Cleirigh, Ajax

Mapper: Aonghus O'Cleirigh, Ajax

Controller: Mike Long, Ajax

Organiser: Denis Reidy, Ajax

Map:

Maps are pre-marked and printed at a scale of 1:5,000 on water resistant material.  Contour interval is 2.5 meters.

Course Lengths:

Brown 9.6k, 50m climb, 28 controls, Map Exchange

Blue 7.2k, 35m climb, 27 controls, Map Exchange

Green 4.6k, 25m climb, 23 controls

Light Green 2.9k, 15m climb, 17 controls

Orange 2.0k, 15m climb, 5 controls

Yellow 1.5k, 10m climb, 12 controls

Condition of entry:

· Please use crossing points marked on map.

· For safety reasons do not cross public roads or race on them.

· Down load your SI card, whether you complete the course or not.

· Bull Island is a EU designated Special Area of Conservation. Do not cause damage or litter.

· Orienteering is an adventure sport. You compete at your own risk.

Entry Fees:

For members of an orienteering club:

Adult: 8 Euro.

Junior/Full time student 5 Euro

Family 20 Euro

For non-members of an orienteering club

Adult: 10 Euro.

Junior/Full time student 6 Euro

Family 25 Euro

Ajax Orienteering and Hill Running Club wishes you a great run and an enjoyable day!

A History of Bull Island

Bull Island, which was first mapped for orienteering for the 2006 Leinster Championships, came into existence quite by accident less than 200 years ago. Here is how it all happened. By late 18th century Dublin was a thriving port, but a sandbar at the mouth of the River Liffey constituted a major hazard. Only 6 feet of water cleared the obstacle at low tide and many lives, ships and cargoes were lost. To improve access to the Port a 3.5-mile stone breakwater (the Great South Wall) extending to a point now marked by the Poolbeg Lighthouse was built in 1795 to prevent silting of the shipping lane. Unfortunately the structure did not achieve its intended purpose.

In 1801 Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame/notoriety) suggested that a wall be built on the Northern Bank of the Liffey parallel to the Great South Wall. The proposal was seriously considered by the Port of Dublin, but was superseded by a broader plan, which led to the construction of the existing North Bull Wall. The breakwater, designed by Francis Giles and George Halpin, was completed in 1824 and stretches for 1.7 miles from the shore of Dollymount to the North Bull Lighthouse at the entrance to the Port. Its purpose was to deepen the Liffey Channel using the natural scouring action of the river, and also to prevent the movement of a sandbar on to the Clontarf shore. The Wall did succeed in deepening the channel to a depth of 16 feet at low water. But the sand dislodged was carried by currents and deposited on the North Bull Bank. Bull Island came into existence and has been growing steadily since.

Today the island is 5.6 km in length and 1 km in width, and is home to two golf courses, and a wide range of natural habitats including sand dunes, salt march, freshwater marsh, and beach area. The EU has designated Bull Island a Special Protection Area and a Special Area for Conservation.

William Bligh was born at Plymouth, England on 4 Oct 1754. After entering the Navy he sailed with James Cook on his second voyage around the world (1772-74). He saw service in Naval battles in 1781 and 1782, and in 1786 when the Commission for the Port of Dublin was established, he was taking part in the naval blockade of French ports.

In late 1787 he was assigned to HMS Bounty. While sailing from Tahiti to the West Indies he and 18 of his crew were overpowered and set adrift in a small boat in the Pacific (April 1789). Bligh's skill as a navigator of the highest quality was demonstrated by his ability to sail the Bounty's lifeboat to Timor, a distance of 3618 miles with only a sextant as a navigational aid. He returned to England in 1790 and continued his career in the Navy.

Captain William Bligh was invited to survey Dublin Bay by the Directors General of Inland Navigation in Ireland. He had a terrific reputation, earned in the South Seas, as a skilled navigator and marine surveyor. Bligh arrived in Dublin in Sept 1800 and completed his survey and report in three months. The chart based on his survey was extraordinarily accurate and detailed, and was greatly superior to all previous charts. He proposed the construction of a wall on the north side of the channel parallel with the South Wall to speed the flow of water and to combat silting. This proposal was accepted in principle.

He returned to his naval duties in early 1801 and fought under Nelson in the Battle of Copenhagen in that year. He was appointed Governor of New South Wales, Australia, in 1805. An army mutiny took place in the colony during which Bligh was deposed and held in custody until Feb 1808. He returned to England in 1810 and in 1811 was promoted Rear Admiral. In 1814 he was elevated to Vice Admiral. Bligh died in London in 1817.

AO’C (Material sourced from Dublin Port Authority and from Dublin City Council.)

see also Bull Island on wikipedia

Hard to get photos of these photographer guys, but Farina Freigang caught this fellow, Martin Flynn (AJAX) cutting up through the forest without his camera.

Peter Kernan

Link to Farina's Djouce photos

Doesn't include all the orienteering events it's the major Leinster and National, check the IMRA or Orienteering sites before going for updates.

more....             ...or orienteering.ie fixtures

The third Dublin by Night orienteering event was hosted by Fingal Orienteers on the Hill of Tara in County Meath last Saturday.

Two courses – 4.2 and 2.2 km in length – led through the historic site and several times the characteristic oval hilltop enclosure had to be crossed.
Three Ajax orienteers were among the forty participants: Marcus Geoghegan (32:34)' finished sixth place after winner Colm Hill (Curragh-Naas, 24:17) on the long course; followed by Farina Freigang (39:00) and Paul.
The grassland suited a night event as it allowed distant views as far as the head torch could reach.  Distinctive controls, loops and direction changes featured on the course of ancient monuments.
It was a great event and there are three more opportunities to try night-o, not to be missed!

Farina Freigang

Studying at Trinity, Farina is from Germany and has been a regular competitor this season,  but she chose the Hill of Tara for her first ever night event.

Photo source:     mythicalireland

At the Ajax AGM we discussed club branding and I took on the job of finding a new Ajax jacket. The idea is to get a jacket that would be suitable for club members to wear at an event, for hanging around in. I looked at a few possibilities and by far the best is the Craft Nordic Jacket:
http://www.ultrasport.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&... 

Craft are a well-established supplier of orienteering and outdoor gear. Their UK retailer, Ultrasport, were at the British Night Championships this weekend and I had a chance to examine the jacket. It matches the club colours perfectly and looks good (that's not just my opinion - my travelling companions thought so as well). It has ladies, men's and junior sizes and was quite warm on a freezing night. The cut seemed to be a bit small (probably designed for svelte Nordic types), but if you go one size up from what you normally get you should be OK. The three photos were taken at night so the reflective strip is lit up by the camera's flash.

I had a chat with Ultrasport about getting the club logo on it and they are looking at some options for me. What I think would look best is the logo on the front and ajax.orienteering.ie on the back (not in huge letters). The sky-blue Nordic jacket is a standard Craft product and Ultrasport do not think it will be discontinued anytime soon.

They retail at £39 each. Our price will depend on the size of the order; delivery; exchange rate; negotiation skills and embroidery, but I think a budget price of €55 won't be far wrong.

When we ordered O suits a couple of years ago it took us a long time to agree on a club subsidy. I would like to suggest that this time junior (under 18) jackets are 50% subsidised by the club and all others must pay full price. If there were ten junior jackets this would work out at about €250 of club funds.

Please use the Ajax eGroup to let me know if you would buy these jackets.  Remember: if there is little interest expressed on the eGroup then it won't happen.

The current status of the Ajax jacket project can be seen here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pYtFWYXc4exIsD_9ll...
if any details are incorrect please email marcus dot geoghegan at gmail dot com

Marcus Geoghegan
January 2009

With adventure racing behind her, Helena Duggan has lately tackled orienteering,.. on top of that, here she gets to grip with 55k of cold January night in Wicklow.

“Ah sure it’s only a walk!” I said to Sinead as we jumped enthusiastically off the 16A and headed towards Dublin Castle. The night was bitterly cold, and having been caught rotten before, we resembled Michelin men as we trudged through the city weighed down by layers of fleece.  Due to our excitement, or in hindsight our naivity we were on time, two hours on time, and after registration we shimmied and jumped our way to warmth as we pleaded with the clock to strike twelve.
 A little after midnight and in front of a gathering crowd of about 200, Gearóid Towey spoke eloquently of Stuart Mangan, a sobering dose of reality reminded us all of why we were there.  And so we were off, over the cobblestones and out the gates of the Castle. A few friday night revellers watched on confused as an army equiped with walking poles, clanged and clattered their way towards Christchurch.
 We were following the 1592 escape route of Art & Henry O’Neill and their companion Red Hugh O’Donnell. Like Art, I too undertook the adventure with my merry band of brothers (well in my case sisters!) Sinead, Monica and Therese but unlike Art and Co. we were not fleeing the law and we did have proper footwear!
  Had someone warned Art about the perils of the Wicklow mountains on a winters night, I imagine he may have met a nicer fate!
As the hours ticked by the road signs got less and less familiar, Harolds Cross, Kimmage, Templeogue, Firhouse, Botharnabreena, and soon the lights of the city began to fade into the distance. Our spirits had ebbed slightly, we dreamt of duvet covers and electric blankets while our breath formed clouds and snow crunched underfoot.  We had slipped into silence until Monica broke our thoughts with a profound “Lads look!” and pointed behind us.  The view was amazing, the orange hue of the city at night witnessed at 3am from an unnamed mountain road is something I won’t easily forget. We trudged on, our spirits renewed.
 By 5am we had reached the first of our three stops. Many dropped out at this point with 25k of serious walking under their belts, they headed proudly for bed.  We lost Therese our “first time hiker” at this point.  It was still dark and the spread of sausages and sandwiches laid on by the enthusistic Towey family was a feast to mind, soul and body. We warmed our hands on cups of soup and stocked up on layers. I filled my pockets with fizzy cola bottles, my stable diet for the hours to come.  Shortly after 5am, we split into groups of about fifteen and started our off roading. The terrain was tough as the mountains were frozen underfoot, the going took it out of almost everyone, the hours passed and bed was now a distant memory.
  Our group had once more opted for silence, each fought a mental battle. My words came back to haunt me, “sure it’s only a walk” was hissed in my direction on several occasions.
The morning brought with it some smiles as the cherry sky cast the mountains in an other wordly hue. However, the wind grabbed onto our smiles and swept them away when it picked up around at 10am. Its undeniable presence added more pressure to already weary bodies.  At 11.30am after eleven and a half hours of walking and 45k behind us, we reached our second stop and some welcome food at the Wicklow Gap Road.  There had been whispers on the track, but as we plonked ourselves onto any available surface and wolfed down some porridge, our bodies decided they’d had enough.  With 10k to go when every inch felt a mile, we bowed out. The challenge lost a lot of walkers at this point with only a brave few of our group heading out on the last leg.
 On Saturday night, snuggled in dressing gowns and munching on Chinese food, we all agreed we’d underestimated the challenge somewhat (said with a smile!) but that we’d be back next year to finish the lot with more than cola bottles lining our pockets.

The Art O’Neill challenge took place on Friday the 9th of January 2009.  The course ran for 55k from Dublin Castle to Glenmalure in Co. Wicklow.  The night was organised by Gearóid Towey the reknowned Irish rower in aid of the Stuart Mangan appeal. Stuart was left severly paralysed after a tackle in a rugby match in April 2008.

Helena Duggan