Dún a Rí, Kingscourt, Co. Cavan.
Dún a Rí is our earliest map which Fingal inherited from Trim Orienteers when they amalgamated with us in 1993. The main section of the map is a very nice mature forest with a picnic area, deer enclosure, and wildlife area, with several walks marked out. It was mapped in 1988 and first used by Trim Orienteers for a Leinster Relay Championships. The survey was by Pat Healy and P. Callaghan and it was drawn by Justin May. The map was redrawn in OCAD and resurveyed by Tom Burke, and Dónal Ó'Murchú of CNOC and Heimo Poyry from Finland, and has since been resurveyed and updated for an army event by Pádraig Higgins. We have since used it succesfully for League events.
Ardgillan Castle Demesne, between Balbriggan and Skerries, Co. Dublin.
Ardgillan Castle is the first map produced by Fingal Orienteers. The map consists of mainly open parkland with some mature wooded areas sloping down to the coast from the park entrance and car park. The castle is in the center of the park, with tea rooms, a rose garden, and walled traditional garden beside it. The map was surveyed over some years, 1991-1994, by Pat Healy, and some current and ex-club members including Jean O'Neill, Frank Flood, and Damien Kelley and was drawn by Pat Healy. It has been redrawn on OCAD by Tommy Burke.
Saint Anne's Park, Raheny/Clontarf, Dublin.
This is a large park on Dublin's Northside between Clontarf and Raheny. It was formerly the demesne of Ardilaun House, home of one of the Guinness families. It was given over to Dublin Corporation and the house has long since been demolished. It contains football pitches, a rose garden, a walled garden, a pitch-and-put course, a playground, a recycling centre, and a recently planted arboretum. Although most of the park is flat there are some intricate contour sections in the mature wooded areas as well as some fake greek ruins and other interesting features from when it was a private garden. The park was originally mapped by Ajax, Eoin Rothery and John Ryan, in 1984. We have resurveyed and redrawn it in OCAD and have agreed a sharing arrangement with Ajax.
Newbridge House Demesne, Donabate, Co. Dublin.
This park was first mapped by GEN in 1986. We have bought the remaining copies of the map and the copyright from them. It has been redrawn in Ocad and partially resurveyed by Doug Corrie. It has been further updated by Val Jones and Fiach O'Rourke. The House was the former residence of the COI archbishop of Dublin. The house is open to the public for tours. There is also a traditional farm open to the public, a tea rooms, a children's playground, a wildlife sanctuary, some football pitches and some nice walks through the demesne.
Howth Summit, Co. Dublin.
This was surveyed and drawn by Val Jones in 2003, and has been used for a number of local events. The area covered includes Shielmartin hill, Ben of Howth, and the wooded area around Muck Rock. The area is mostly rough open with lots of contour detail and rock features, lots of paths, some mature wooded area, and also areas of rhodadendron, gorse, and brambles.
Carnawaddy Mountain, Co. Louth.
This is a large area near Dundalk, extending south east from the old ECO map of Ravensdale and just touching the west tip of Carlingford at the Windy Gap. The map was first used for the Leinster Championships in 2005. The area was surveyed by Pádraig Higgins and Val Jones. The area is mostly open mountain, similar to Rockmarshal, not as rocky and steep as Carlingford. The pictures show an example of photogrametry compared to the final map. The photogrametry covers about three time the area of the map produced for LOC 2005. We may extend it in future. The map has been redrawn and extended to the south based on lidar data for the 2021 Lenister Championships. The lidar covers the area to the north up to the border and into County Armagh, including Ravensdale forest and the mountains east of it.
Littlewood, Slane, Co. Meath.
This is a small wood just north of Slane, Co. Meath. It was surveyed by Tommy Burke. It is mostly mature runnable forest with some paths and rides. It is suitable for local and Come-and-Try-it events, and perhaps Night-O events. Unfortunately it is a bit too small for a full Leinster League event.
Ward River Valley Park, Swords, Co. Dublin.
This is a small linear park in Swords. It is mostly open with some contour detail. Jean O'Neill surveyed the streets surrounding the park, while Mick Kellett (RIP) surveyed the park and the wooded area west of the park.
Rockmarshal, Co. Louth.
This area was originally by ECO. It was first used for an Irish Championships more than 30 years ago, and was used for the Irish Relay Championships in 1989. Since ECO have disbanded we have held a few events there. We have also redrawn the map in Ocad. It is quite a small area but nevertheless contains some very intricate contour detail in the open section. Unfortunately the forest is pretty much unusable being mostly young trees, mature forest full of brambles, or felled areas also full of brambles. We have generally been complimented when we have run events there so we may resurvey it some time in the future.
Malahide Castle Demesne, Co. Dublin.
We have come to an agreement with UCDO to share the Malahide Map. It has been updated by Val Jones and John Craddock of UCDO. It is similar to our other parks in North Dublin. It is mostly open parkland with a playground, football pitches, a golf course, tennis courts and a cricket ground. It also has some mature woodland sections. Malahide castle is in the middle of the Demesne, along with formal gardens and a cafe.
Deerpark, Virginia, Co. Cavan.
This area was surveyed and drawn by Pádraig Higgins for an army event. We bought the Ocad file and the copyright from him, updated it and used it for a Leinster League event in 2006. The map covers a small but intricate wood behind the Deerpark Hotel on the shore of Lough Ramor. The map has been updated from lidar provided by Pat Healy, and resurveyed and updated for league events by Pat, Val Jones, and Tommy Burke.
Santry Woods, Dublin.
This map was surveyed and drawn by Tommy Burke in 2006. It includes Morton Stadium, Santry and a new Fingal County Council park surrounding the stadium. It has been used for our September scatter league, Sprint events, and for schools events.
Rossmore Forest Park, Co. Monaghan.
This is a very nice mixed forest just off the N54 Monaghan to Clones road, near Monaghan Town. It was first surveyed by Pat Healy in the late 70s, then by Ted Russell and ECO back in 1985. It was mainly been used for army events. Padraig Higgins, Val Jones, and Tommy Burke resurveyed it in 2007 and 2008 for the very succesful 2009 Leinster Championships. It has since been updated by Ingus Retkins and used for Leinster League events.
Castletown House, Celbridge, Co. Kildare.
This is a Demesne with open parkland and some mixed wooded sections, similar to Newbridge House. It was surveyed by Val Jones and Tommy Burke in the summer of 2007. It is near Celbridge, Co Kildare, and stretches from the M4 south to the river Liffey. The Hewlett Packard plant is to the east, with Celbridge town to the west. The house is the most spectacular of Ireland's 18th century Georgian mansions. Built between 1719 and 1725, the house was designed by an Italian architect, Alessandro Galilei, and the building was intended to reflect the power and wealth of the owner, William Conolly. He had risen from humble beginnings in Donegal to become Speaker of the House of Commons. The house is now owned by the state under the management of the OPW. It is open for guided tours. We have held several Leinster League events in Castletown, but unfortunately it has been difficult to get permission from the new site manager for events recently.
Hill of Tara, Co. Meath.
Yes, that hill of Tara! No need to say any more about it's history!. Tommy has mapped it and Kathryn has already had an event for cubs there. One of the conditions imposed by the OPW was that controls had to be hung from fences or trees. Because it's a national monument nothing could be pushed into the ground. It's a small area but apart from the main hill there are some small woods. We have held a night event here also in 2009.
Balrath, Co. Meath.
Another small wood in Co. Meath. mapped by Tommy. It's near Kentstown, just off the N2 between Ashbourne and Slane. We have used it for a sprint event in 2008
Dalgan Park, Navan, Co. Meath.
Dalgan park, near Navan, Co. Meath, mapped by Tommy. A park south of Navan town on the banks of the river Boyne, and on the N3. We have used it for some very successful summer events.
Derrycassin Wood, Co. Longford.
Derrycassin is a small wood near Granard, Co. Longford. It was surveyed in the summer of 2009. The wood is on the shores of Lough Gowna, the source of the River Erne. It is mostly coniferous with some deciduous sections. Several walks are laid out in the wood. It also contains the ruins of Derrycassin House, an older ring fort, and a distinctive esker ridge. We have held a league event there, and used it for training.
Trim Castle, Trim, Co. Meath.
Trim castle grounds, and a linear park along the Boyne river has been mapped by Tommy. John Rowe has hld an event for the juniors in Trim Athletics Club there.
Battle Of The Boyne site, Oldbridge, Co. Meath.
Tommy Burke produced a map of the Battle of the Boyne site in Co. Meath. It is a nice park at Oldbridge, west of Drogheda, with of course plenty of historical interest features. It has been used for local summer events and scatter league events.
Cahore South Beach, Co. Wexford.
Cahore South beach was completed for the 2013 Leinster Championships. This is a beach in North Wexford, about 4 K long and about 700M at it's widest. It is similar to Bull Island but with bigger dunes in some places and less obvious paths. We got LIDAR data for this coutesy of Pat Healy and OSI, and a grant from the Sports Council. It was one of the first maps in Ireland produced from LIDAR. This gives us excellant contour details of the sanddunes, and with a combination of this and GPS the surveying went well. The map was used for the 2013 Leinster Championships, and for league events.
CastleMorris, Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny.
This map was completed by Val and Tommy in 2012. This is a mixed wood in South Kilkenny that was the Casltlemorris Demesne. There is very little evidence left of Castlemorris house, but there's a very nice gatehouse at the main entrance. There is also an old abbey and round tower in the north east corner. The wood itself is a complete mix of mature and young trees both coniferous and decidous. A variety of wildlife in the wood includes red squirrels and pine martins. The map was used for a league event in November 2012. It will be shared with Waterford Orienteers. Castlemorris is very accessible from Dublin and the south. It is near Knocktopher, just off the M9.
Blanchardstown, Dublin.
Blanchardstown is a sprint map that includes Tolka valley park and surrounding estates of Corduff, Edgewood, and Waterville, and Blanchardstown Hospital and the National Aquatic Center. The map was produced for us by Laurence Quinn of GEN and used for scatter events and and night events. Jean also used it for a sprint event for a visiting party of Swedish Orienteers.
Applewood, Swords, Co. Dublin.
Applewood is a sprint map of Applewood and other housing estates on the north of Swords. The map was produced entirely by Roy Harford, and was well received at scatter events and summer evening sprint events.
Tyrrelstown, Co. Dublin.
Tyrrelstown is another sprint map of Tyrrelstown, a new town north west of Blanchardstown. The area is an intricate mix of houses and apartments with open ground in between, and a small wooded section. The map was produced by Val Jones and used for summer evening sprint events and scatter events. It has been updated by Eileen Young to include the park and the schools.
Fr Collins Park, Donaghmede, Dublin.
Fr Collins Park is another sprint map of Father Collins park and surrounding estates and apartment complexes. The map was produced by Val Jones and used for scatter events.
Skerries, Co. Dublin.
A sprint map of Skerries town, including the estates, and the open areas around Skerries Mills. The map was produced by Roy Harford and Ciaran Young and used for summer evening events and scatter events.
ALSAA Sports Comples, Dublin Airport.
ALSAA is a map of the ALSAA sports Complex at Dublin Airport. It includes the Football, Rugby, and Hockey pitches, pitch and put course, tennis courts, and running track. The map was produced by Tommy, and used for a night event.
Barnsmore, Co Donegal.
The Barnsmore windfarm open mountain area was mapped by Val Jones for the 2018 Irish Championships. The west section was used for the middle distance Irish Championships. It was intended to use the eastern section for the relays. However the relays were moved to Finner because of the conditions imposed by the windfarm owners, Scottish Power, principal of which was having to bus all competitors up to the terrain. The area is typical Irish open mountain terrain with detained contours, marshes, streams, rock features, and some old turf cuttings. The only roads are the access roads to the windmills.
Bayside, Dublin.
A sprint map of the Bayside area of north Dublin, both south and north of Bayside train station. The map was produced by Roy Harford and checked by Jean O'Neill. The streets, alleyways, and greens around Bayside square are particularly suitable for sprint orienteering. It has been used for a summer event and a student sprint event.
Blackwater park, Navan, Co Meath.
A map of Blackwater park, Navan, produced by Tommy Burke. The park is suitable for come-and-try it and schools and other local events. Tommy has run a series of introductory events there.
Dunshaughlin, Co Meath.
A sprint map of the town of Dunshauglin. The map was produced by Roy Harford, and field checked by Per Olav Ellovson. It has been used for summer events.
Johnstown Park, Finglas, Dublin.
A map of a small park in Finglas, produced by Tommy Burke. The map is suitable mainly for schools and scout events.
Castleknock, Co.Dublin
This is a sprint map produced in 2020 by Eileen Young. It includes the housing estates of west Castleknock, some of which are very good for sprint orienteering. So far it has only been used for MapRunF courses.
Portmarnock, Co. Dublin
This is also a sprint map produced in 2020 by Eileen Young. It includes the housing estates of Portmarnock. So far it has only been used for MapRunF courses.
Balbriggan, Co Dublin
This is also a sprint map produced in 2020 by Eileen Young. It includes most of Balbriggan town. So far it has only been used for MapRunF courses.
Lusk, Co. Dublin
This is also a sprint map produced in 2020 by Eileen Young. It includes all of Lusk inside the ring road, and has some nice sections for sprint orienteering. So far it has only been used for MapRunF courses.
Rush, Co. Dublin
This is a sprint map produced in 2020 by Eileen Young and Dave Richardson. It includes most of Rush town. So far it has only been used for MapRunF courses.
Fauna, Donard, Co. Wicklow
This was an ECO map near Donard in west Wicklow. It had been updated by Pat Healy. It was resurveyed in 2019 by Val Jones, Eileen Young, Dave Richardson, and Tommy Burke. It was used for a league event in 2019. It is a nice wood of mostly coniferous trees and almost no brambles. Unfortunately no sooner has it matured again that felling has started. Hopefully it will be useable for another few years. We have an agreement to share it with CNOC.
Dartry/Cootehill, Monaghan/Cavan
This was also an old ECO map just north of Cootehill. It was felled and has not been used for more than 20 years. However it has matured again and will be resurveyed hopefully in the summer of 2021.
National Sports Campus, Abbotstown, Dublin
Officially this is not our map but is an IOA map. It was initially produced for the IOA by Laurance Quinn. It was updated in 2020 by Val Jones and Eileen Young and we held a local event there. It covers the whole campus including some small wooded sections to the south where the cross country running track is.
DCU campus, Glasnevin, Dublin
This is not officially our map either. It is waiting for a DCU club to be formed so they can claim it. Old versions were produced by Mick Kellett (RIP), Peter Kernan, Johm McCullough, and Niall Smith (who was in Fingal). The most recent sprint map version was produced by Kieran Rocks of LVO. It was used by us for scatter events and by 3ROC for the 2018 Irish Sprint Championships.
Fairview/Marino, Dublin
This is a sprint map that includes the streets of Marino estate and Fairview Park. It was drawn and surveyed by Val Jones in 2020. So far it has only been used for a schools event. This map is shared with GEN.
Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
This map includes Lough Muckno Park, including White Island and the forest on Black Island. It also includes most of the town streets. It was initially surveyed and drawn by Eileen Young in 2021, and extended by Val Jones in 2023/24 for a league event. It has also been used for schools events and Maprun.
Holywell Drinan, Swords / Kinsealy, Co. Dublin
This is an urban sprint map outside Swords that includes Holywell on the west side of the M1 and Drinan on the east side. So far it has only been used for Maprun. It was drawn and surveyed by Val Jones in 2023.
Castle Lough, Bailieborough, Co. Cavan
This is a map of Castle Lough Forest near Bailieborough in County Cavan. It was surveyed and produced by Pat Healy for Cavan Sports Partnership. We will need to do some more surveying to use it for a league event.
Clonshaugh Priorswood, Dublin
This is an urban map of Clonshaugh Park and surrounding streets near Coolock, in Dublin. It was surveyed and drawn by Eileen Young and has been used for schools events and Maprun.
Rathbeggan Lakes, Co. Meath
This is a small map of Rathbeggan Lakes and Meath ECO Park, just off the M3 between Clonee and Dunshaughlin. It was surveyed and drawn in 2017 by Tommy Burke.