2025 Awards

The Trail Ahead: Our Exciting Vision for 2026!

As the 2025 hiking season winds down, we're already looking ahead to an incredible year of growth, adventure, and community in 2026. We have some big plans to make our group safer, more inclusive, and more exciting than ever before.

Please note, these structural changes will be introduced starting in March 2026 as we kick off the new hiking season. Here’s a look at what you can expect! 

Becoming an Official Mountaineering Ireland Club 🛡️

Our biggest goal for 2026 is to become an officially affiliated club with Mountaineering Ireland. This is a crucial step to ensure the safety and sustainability of our group.

What's in it for You? Member Benefits!

By becoming a member of Mountaineering Ireland through our club, you get a huge range of fantastic perks. The annual membership fee goes directly to Mountaineering Ireland (we don't take any money from it) and is your all-in-one cost for a comprehensive insurance package and much more:

• Peace of Mind Insurance: This is the most important benefit. You'll be covered by Public Liability (€13M) and Personal Accident insurance on all official club hikes. Crucially, this insurance also covers you when you're hiking on your own or with friends!

• Retail Discounts: Get access to discounts at selected outdoor retailers across the country to save money on your gear.

• Training & Skills: Unlock access to training schemes, skill workshops, and grants to improve your navigation, first aid, or winter skills.

• Irish Mountain Log Magazine: A subscription to this brilliant quarterly magazine, packed with articles, route guides, and gear reviews.

• National Community: Join a nationwide community with invitations to events like the annual Autumn Gathering and other talks.

How It Will Work for Us (from March 2026)

To become an official club, we need at least 10 members to commit to joining Mountaineering Ireland.

While we wait to reach that number, we will begin to operate more like an official club starting in March. This means we will introduce a club registration system, keep a log of attendance for all meets, and allow people to join for up to three trial hikes before they need to become a registered member to continue.

This structure ensures we are operating responsibly as we grow.

Wear Your Adventure: Club Merch is Coming! 👕

Some of you have asked about club merchandise, and we're excited to announce that we're making it happen! We are currently looking into creating t-shirts and I hope to have some samples to show everyone in November.

If you think you'd be interested in buying some club merch, please send me a quick message! This will help us figure out numbers and what items to order.

A Truly Intersectional Hiking Group 🤝

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our community. In 2026, we're taking concrete steps to ensure those who have been historically marginalized in the outdoors feel seen, supported, and welcome.

We are currently exploring ideas of how best to do this. Some of these ideas include a RSVP system with at least 50% of spaces reserved for women and LGBTQ+ participants. We may also introduce dedicated hikes for these communities to create safe and affirming spaces in nature.

Introducing the 'Wayfaring Host' ✨

To help us offer more hikes and better support our community, we will be welcoming two new Wayfaring Hosts in 2026.

This is a volunteer role focused on gentle stewardship. A Wayfaring Host is someone who helps uphold our ethos, nurture connection, and hold space for our shared experience. It’s not about being an expert or being responsible, but about being a friendly and welcoming presence who helps get the walk started. The Wayfaring Host is a volunteer who facilitates the hike, not a supervisor; they help guide the group, but every hiker is responsible for themselves. This is the role Eoin and I have fulfilled to date.

If you are interested in volunteering for some hikes please reach out to us.

Bigger Adventures on the Horizon 🗺️

Based on your feedback, we're expanding our horizons beyond day trips.

• Our First Multi-Day Hike: Get your big packs ready! We plan to organise our very first overnight hike in 2026. This will be a fantastic next step in pushing the club from a hillwalking group to a hiking group. 

• Our First International Trip: We're also aiming to go international with a multi-day, hut-to-hut hike somewhere in Europe! This milestone will be a new kind of adventure and a huge step in our journey as a community.