50 and Counting Ireland 2024

The competition floor at St. Josephs Community Centre Wexford hummed with focused intensity as timers were tested, display mats unrolled, and competitors settled in for a busy weekend. A field of 97 competitors gathered in Wexford, Ireland on April 27 and April 28, 2024, eager to tackle 14 events across 23 scheduled rounds. The atmosphere across the venue captured the true essence of an Irish speedcubing gathering, where seasoned veterans and ambitious newcomers shared the same tournament tables in pursuit of swift solutions.

Saturday opened with a massive lineup of puzzle disciplines, testing raw dexterity and mental stamina from the very first scrambles. Competitors faced everything from the precision mechanics of Clock to the sprawling turn counts of the large cubes. 50 and Counting Ireland 2024 quickly established an electric tempo, as early heats narrowed down deep fields across side events. The multi-round schedule demanded consistency under pressure, setting up intense head-to-head battles that would carry through to Sunday.

Throughout the weekend, Ciarán Beahan produced an exceptional sweep across multiple categories. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, featuring 91 contenders across three rigorous rounds, Beahan captured victory with a stellar winning average of 6.83 seconds, highlighted by a sharp single solve of 5.97. He added four more titles to his tournament haul, winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 24.86 average, the 3x3x3 One-Handed event at 13.33, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:20.14, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a commanding 1:59.89 average.

The 3x3 results at 50 and Counting Ireland 2024 featured an all-Irish podium, with CJ Furey securing second place on an 8.15 average and Iollan Walsh taking third at 8.19. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed final, Furey again claimed silver with a mark of 14.98, while Miłosz Andzel earned bronze with 17.21. Meanwhile, the short-puzzle sprints produced razor-thin margins. Kalin Doherty claimed the 2x2x2 Cube title with a neat 2.00 average, and Enda Loftus stormed to victory in Pyraminx with an average of 2.55 seconds.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the deeper narrative of 50 and Counting Ireland 2024 belonged to competitors pushing their personal limits and embracing new puzzle formats. Caleb Gallo tackled nine separate events, earning a 9th-place finish in 2x2x2 Cube while cutting his single solve down to 1.32 seconds, a 38.3 percent improvement, and taking his first official attempt at Megaminx in 1:38.23. Rory Pappas logged his first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 40.51 while dropping his Clock personal best to 8.55 seconds, 38.5 percent faster than before. Oli Sweeney cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 35.1 percent to 4.54 seconds while attempting Pyraminx for the first time in 8.66 seconds.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the arena floor as Luke Gill shaved 35.4 percent off his Skewb mark to hit 11.39 seconds alongside a debut 4x4x4 Cube solve of 2:33.60. Ollie Bacon improved his Skewb best by 33.5 percent down to 10.40 seconds while recording a 2:18.91 in his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt. Daniel Mulcahy dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 23.6 percent to 23.47 seconds and tried Pyraminx for the first time in 14.89 seconds. Antica Dragos took on 12 events, achieving a 12th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and completing a debut 7x7x7 Cube solve of 7:59.76. Ben Ireton entered eight events, securing 25th in 6x6x6 Cube with a debut 4:49.23 and logging a personal best of 1:11.03 in 4x4x4 Cube.

Other puzzle categories delivered standout individual performances across the two days. Ronan Finke captured the Skewb crown with a winning average of 3.47 seconds, while Prabhav Rajaram Nayak topped the Megaminx standings on a 40.91 average. In Clock, Rían Burke clinched first place with a 5.03 average, edging out Namuun Natsagdorj of Mongolia at 5.35 and William Carey of Ireland at 5.38. Ryan Eckersley put together a strong performance by capturing the Square-1 title with a 9.95 average, alongside victories in both 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 25.79 average and 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a single solve of 1:39.67.

Host nation competitors enjoyed an extraordinary run across the weekend, collecting 33 podium places, complemented by six podium finishes for the United Kingdom, three for Mongolia, and one for India. From the speed cubing sprints on the classic Rubik's Cube to the immense focus required in blindfolded and big cube brackets, the gathering delivered high-level action from start to finish. As the final scrambles concluded on Sunday evening, 50 and Counting Ireland 2024 stood as a remarkable celebration of Irish cubing talent and international sportsmanship.