Trawling through the archives recently I came across details of an event run by the original Irish O-club, Irish Orienteers, in March 1970. It makes interesting reading, not just for the use of a modified 6" to the mile black and white Ordnance Survey map, but for the results: they include a 10 year old Colm Rothery who went round the course with his mother, and you may recognise some other names too. The A course was about 9 miles. It was won by Nigel Bark in 3 hours and 2 minutes and only four competitors made it in under four hours! The B course of about 5 miles was won by M. de Courcy in 2 hours and 2 minutes. The longest time on the A course was 6 hours 23 mins, on the B 4 hours 50 mins.

The map covers the area of today's Cronybyrne with a bit of Clarabeg thrown in. If you remember the early control descriptions, the use of the definite article ("the boulder, the stream junction") meant that the control feature was marked on the map; the indefinite article ("a ruin, a crag, a tree") meant that it wasn't on the map: no wonder some people took as long as they did!

The course started and finished at the SW corner of the now largely felled Ballinastraw, roughly where some recent Leinster League events started

Preliminary Information

"The next event is Paddy Hayden's course on Sunday 22nd March 1970. Meeting place on the road from Garryduff crossroads to Rathdrum, 1 1/4 miles from the crossroads. map ref 196 915. There will be two courses in this event., the A course will be about 9 miles by straight lines, the B course about 5 miles. The B course is open to everyone but because of the length of the A course, entry is limited to only who qualify by: 1. having completed any previous A course as an individual or 2. have finished in the first four of any B course as an individual or 3. as a member of a team that has completed an A course within 1 1/2 times the winner's time.

The first starting time for the A course will be 10 a.m. and for the B course 11 a.m. "

Map Notes

"...All controls must be visited in proper sequence ...Controls will be taken down at 6.00 p.m. ... scale 4" = 1 mile vertical grid lines point true north. Magnetic north is 10˚ west"

As you may be able to see from the map there were 15 controls and sticking to the roads looks like it was definitely the best bet (in Cronybyrne some things never change!). I seem to remember that the control flags in those distant days were blue and red floppy cloth squares and that the "punch" was a different coloured (water soluble) marker hanging on a string at each control. One of the previous competitors had, of course, dropped the cap of the marker in the undergrowth so it never worked when you got there anyway

In some respects we have come a long way.

A course

N. Bark 3.02

N. Rice 3.20

P. O'Leary 3.30

F. Lonergan 3.46

J. Lynam 4.15

T. Ingram 4.18

J. Bent 4.23

E. Gaffney 4.33

S. Rothery 4.40

M. O'Doherty 4.57

C. Dunlop 5.08

R. Lynam 5.11

M. Cauldfield 5.16

F. Murphy 5.40

R. Garrett 5.55

L. Byrne pair 6.03

O'Murchu, Conroy 6.11

R & K. Kinsella 6.17

P. McKenna 6.23

B course

M. deCourcy 2.02

M. Byrne 2.14

E. Rothery 2.14

J.. Meagher 2.14

Travers & Peters 2.19

I. Masterson 2.20

P. Snow 2.27

G. Sweeney & family 2.27

C. L. Fisher 2.29

B. Byrne 2.33

M. Hewson 2.39

N. Rothery & Colm 2.46

A. Hallows & N. Gilhuys 3.01

G. Quinn 3.02

L. Peters & Hannon 3.03

H. Knott 3.04

D. O'Connor 3.12

Love, Butler, Diamond 3.52

Snow, Watt, Snow 3.56

M. Plunkett 4.02

G. Floyd 4.04

Hardy, Burnell 4.14

L. Brady 4.16

Dobbin, Lowe, Collins 4.24

P. Walker 4.25

H. Ward 4.31

F & A Peters 4.50

JMcC.