SHEEP’S Head Peninsula is the stage for the 2026 Irish Orienteering Championships, hosted by Cork Orienteering Club, this May bank holiday weekend.

Orienteering is an adventure sport where competitors race with a map, and locate checkpoints scattered throughout an area in the fastest time possible. The rugged rock and contour detail of the Sheep's Head hillsides will provide the ultimate physical and navigational challenge for these hardy athletes, up to 400 of whom will travel from all over Ireland and abroad for these races, and will range in age from ten to 85.

The weekend kicks off on Friday with fun orienteering activities at Kilcrohane National School and community field, hosted by coaches from Orienteering Ireland, and open to all national school children on the peninsula. The racing starts on Saturday with the middle-distance championships taking place on the southern slopes of Caher, and junior races closer to Kilcrohane.

On Sunday, the long distance race will take place on Rosskerrig, and the weekend will finish with the relay championships on Rossnacaheragh near Ahakista on Monday.

To minimise traffic disruption on the peninsula, the main parking for competitors will be in Durrus Community Field, with shuttle buses running to and from the race starts. Durrus Community Hall and the Philip Green Centre will host the social aspects of the weekend, with an orienteering quiz, prize-giving and the national AGM of Orienteering Ireland all taking place over the course of the weekend.