Munster Orienteering Championships 18^th October, 2026

South East Viking Orienteers (SEVO)

Key Details

• The Start for all courses is adjacent to the main Mahon Falls carpark:
  • Courses 1 to 7 cross the Mahon River very early on their course
  • There is a mandatory crossing point, you must punch the control just before you cross the river (this is in between two boulders).
  • The same crossing point is taken on the way back across, it is mandatory again and you must punch the control just before crossing the river (this is a different control).
  • This will be obvious on the map and the control descriptions.
  • You should give way to any competitor already on the river crossing
  • There will be a marshal at the river crossing, please obey any instructions
• Courses 8 to 14 and colour coded do not cross the Mahon River.
• Main carpark, registration tent and finish are all adjacent.
• Mahon Falls car park can be very busy, particularly if the weather is good. You should plan to arrive early, before 11:00am. We cannot reserve/hold spaces for orienteers. There will be no car parking marshals. See below for more detail.
• Starts from 11:00 to 12:30. There is no start list – a gap of two minutes will be maintained between competitors on each course.
• Please support the local cafes – Cronin’s Yard is just off the map and Crough Coffee is at Mahon Bridge. There is plenty of car parking in both locations.

SIAC is enabled.

1 Introduction

1.1 Event officials

Planner: John Casey

Controller: Thomas Callery

Organiser: Andrew Cox

1.2 Thanks

We would like to thank the local land owners who have been very generous by providing access and supportive of this event.

1.3 The area.

Mahon Falls was used for the Irish Orienteering Championships in 2016, surveyed and drawn by Pat Healy. Very minor updates since by Andrew Cox and John Casey.

Note: Mahon Falls is a popular tourist and hiking destination, you can expect to see other non-orienteers in the competition area. Please respect other users and do not assume you have right of way. Non-orienteers tend to stay on the main path on the way into the Falls but they do use the car park.

2: Directions and Car Parking

2.1 Directions.

There will be no orienteering signs; follow the signs to Mahon Falls.

Main car-park and registration at:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/sgjjD8Xjs3eSKmcz9

2.2 Car Parking

If the weather on the day is good, then you can expect that the car park will be busy. We cannot block off or reserve spaces in the carpark. If you want to be assured of a car space then you should plan to arrive early, i.e. before 11am. The car park has recently been extended and can now accommodate 60+ cars.

If the carpark is full, there are several smaller carparks on the road up to and beyond the main carpark into the Falls (approx. 8 to 10 cars in each). See map at end.

As this is a public carpark, there will be no car parking marshals. Parking is on a first come, first served – every man, woman and child for themselves.

If you park in one of the smaller carparks, please leave enough space for cars to pass (these car parks also operate as passing points).

You can also park on the side of the road but make sure to leave space for traffic to pass.

Please consider carpooling – there is a new(ish) carpark at Mahon Bridge, next to the café – cars can be parked here, there will be plenty of space.

The car parks are quite public, please lock your cars. There will be a box for car keys in the download tent, close to registration.

3: Terrain Notes

3.1 Mahon Falls

Mahon Falls is the name of the waterfall lake that forms the centre-piece of the mapped area.

All the courses are on open mountain but not all courses will go across the Mahon River. Underfoot, the runability is generally good however, at times the ground is quite stony which makes the terrain much slower. Course planning has tried to avoid the worst of the fern/bracken areas. However, it is not possible to avoid ferns/bracken completely. At the time of staging the event it is unlikely that these ferns will have died out. As the ferns are seasonal, weather dependent and mobile, they are not marked on the map. See section 5 on Terrain Dangers for more details.

The map is in three sections:

• The area under the falls. This stretches from the main carpark to the base of the waterfall, entirely west of the River Mahon. All courses visit this area. It is flatter and more complex. It is also the area that is more stony underfoot and this is a particular danger in areas of ferns/bracken. There is a track into the falls and there is a smaller path alongside the Mahon River. The main track and the river act as good relocation features – junior courses use these extensively with controls placed on, or just off, the paths. Mapping of boulders has been contextual – where there are few boulders then all will have been mapped however in areas of heavy boulder density, only the larger boulders are mapped.
• The area across (east) the Mahon River. This is classic open mountain. In general, the runability is good, except in areas of ferns/bracken. It can be steep in parts. There are plenty of features, particularly boulders! Marshes, depending on recent rainfall, can offer better running. There are no tracks or paths marked.
• The area South of the main Car Park. Similar to the area east of the Mahon River, except that the vegetation in the main marsh can make running heavy going. A fence bisects this area which should not be crossed (courses are designed not to cross this fence). The going on the West side of the fence is slower due to the underlying heather.

Route gadget from the most recent event is here:

2025-003-30 Mahon Falls , ( https://www.orienteering.ie/gadget/cgi-bin/reitti.cgi?act=map&id=1023 )

3.2 Ticks

There are no deer on the mountain side. The area is not known for ticks however, all competitors should check themselves carefully for ticks after they run.

4 The Event

4.1: Start

There are for all courses is adjacent to the main carpark and registration. Immediately across the road.

There is no start list, you can start at your leisure. The start officials will ensure that there is a 2 minute gap between competitors on each course (not class).

The start window is 11:00 to 12:30. Courses close at 2pm.

The start box must be punched.

4.2: Prize Giving

Prize giving will be in the main Car Park as close to 2pm as possible. Prizes will be awarded to first in each Championship class, plus the Munster Champion. In the class where there are 7 or more competitors, then there will be an award for second place (subject to the organisers discretion). Prizes are not awarded to non-championship courses (short, colour coded and entry on the day). Please note that accompanied or shadowed juniors are not eligible for prizes.

To be eligible to be the Munster Champion in any age category, the competitor must be a member of a registered Munster orienteering club.

4.3 Dogs

Dogs are not permitted in the competition area. They are permitted in the parking area provided they are always under their owner’s control and on a lead. The area is extensively grazed by sheep.

4.4 First Aid

Basic First aid/medical assistance will be available at Registration.

4.5 The Map

All maps are printed on waterproof paper on A4 size paper. Scale varies from 1:5,000 to 1:10,000 depending on the course (see list of courses for actual scale per course).

Control descriptions are printed on the map and will also be available loose.

4.6 Mandatory Crossing Point (courses 1 to 7)

Courses 1 to 7 cross the Mahon River early into their course. There is a mandatory crossing point. Do not forget to punch the control just before the cross point. This control is not at the crossing point but is nearby. A marshal will also be present.

Later on the course (courses 1 to 7), competitors will cross back across the river – this is also mandatory crossing point. It is the same crossing point so you must give way to any competitor already on the crossing point.  There is also a control just before the crossing point on a nearby feature which must be punched. These controls and mandatory crossing point are marked on the map and on the control descriptions.

4.7 Competition Area

The entire area around the carpark(s) is within the competition area. You should not venture into the open mountain area. Those who want to warm up should use the road.

4.8 Finish and Download:

Download is in the Tent which will be in the main carpark. There is one finish for all courses which is adjacent to the carpark.  

All competitors must download regardless of whether they completed their course & report any damage that may have been done to Registration.

Competitors using rental SIs should return these after downloading.

4.9 Map Reclaim

Course maps are not being retained, please do not show your map to competitors who have yet to complete their run

4.10 Results

Live results will be available subject to internet availability. QR code will be available at the download tent. Results will be published on Orienteering Ireland after the event.

4.11 Protests

Any protests lodged will be dealt with in accordance with the official Orienteering Ireland Rules of Orienteering available on the Orienteering.ie website. First speak to the event Organiser. If still dissatisfied with the outcome then the matter will be referred to the Jury.

4.12 SIAC

The controls will be SIAC enabled. However, the start and finish will not be SIAC enable and must be punched.

4.13 Warm-up area.

There is no specified warm up area. Once you are parked on one of the car parks then you are on the map. You should stay on the main road to warm up. No going into the terrain.

Event Safety & Weather

5.1 Event Risk Assessment

A risk assessment has been completed for the competition, which is available on request.

5.2 Disclaimer

Competitors take part in orienteering events at their own individual risk. Do not compete if you feel unwell or are injured.

5.3: River Crossing

On courses 1 to 7, competitors will cross the Mahon River twice (out and back) at the same location.

The flow of the river goes from benign to raging torrent, and everything in between. At the benign end, it is possible to cross the river without getting your shoes wet; at the raging torrent end, the river is extremely dangerous and cannot be crossed (irrespective of the solutions in place to help).

There will be an aid in place to provide support competitors to cross the river safely. This will either be a makeshift bridge or a secured rope or both. However, the flow may be still be too strong and the crossing aid may still not be sufficient to permit a safe crossing of all competitors. Should this occur then courses will be shortened. The Mahon River pulses very quickly after rainfall – this decision is independent of the YELLOW weather warning decision (see section on weather warnings).

The decision to shorten the courses will be based on the ability of all competitors on courses 1 to 7 to cross the river safely, not the most able – i.e. it will be a singular decision, all courses will cross or none.

There is also an option to have a timed-out leg at the crossing point. Should this be in place, competitors will be told at the start – the time out will be to a maximum of three minutes.

5.4: Terrain Dangers

5.4.1: Areas of bracken/ferns

There are areas of ferns/bracken on the map. Course planning has tried to avoid the worst of these areas. However, it is not possible to avoid ferns/bracken completely. At the time of staging the event it is unlikely that these ferns will have died out. As the ferns are seasonal, weather dependent and mobile, they are not marked on the map.

It is likely that you will come across areas of ferns as you complete your course. In many instances these can be avoided by choosing sheep tracks through them or running around the edge on the way to your control.

It is rare that the ferns are above knee height.

All competitors will encounter some ferns in the complex area off the track into the Falls. For many, this will not impede your progress. HOWEVER, if can be difficult to see the ground in the area of ferns and this area is quite stony underfoot. Your may need to slow down to avoid rolling an ankle, or worse.

5.4.2: Exposed Mountain

Mahon Falls is an area of exposed mountain. The risks associated with this type of terrain exists – falls, steep & uneven stony ground and cold exposure.

The lower courses (8 to 14) do not cross the Mahon River and are never too far from a path or road. If a competitor gets into difficulty, you should make your way to a path/road in the first instance.

The longer courses (1 to 7) do venture farther from an area of tracks. However, all competitors pass across the river at the same point, where there will be a marshal located.

5.5 Full Body Cover Required

The event is a full body cover event – full leg cover is required.

5.6 Rain Jackets and whistles

Depending on prevailing weather conditions whistles and rain jackets may be mandatory so please come prepared.

5.7 Weather Warnings and Postponement

If there is a RED or ORANGE weather alert for Co. Waterford, the event will be postponed.

If there is a YELLOW weather warning then a decision will be made by the Planner, Controller and Organiser. Mahon Falls is an exposed open mountain area and the Mahon River can flow very fast in times of heavy rain. The outcome of this decision (be it a Go/No Go) will be communicated on all available channels.

Should the event be postponed, SEVO reserves the right to retain all, or part, of the entry fees to cover already-committed costs. A rescheduled date will be communicated as soon as possible.

5.8 Water

Please note that there are no water stations on the courses. Water will not be available at the finish, please bring your own water.

Course Details

Car Parking, Start, Finish

see map in attachment