Let's Go Carlow 2025

The Seven Oaks Hotel buzzed with focused energy as 76 competitors gathered for a demanding weekend of puzzle solving in Carlow, Ireland. Across March 29 and March 30, the venue hosted 20 total rounds spanning 15 distinct disciplines. With several big cube and blindfolded categories scheduled as single-round finals, every solver faced high stakes from their very first turn. That strict schedule left no margin for warm-up errors, shaping a tense and dramatic atmosphere from the opening phase to the final solves.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest, serving as the central attraction for Rubik's Cube enthusiasts, progressed across two rounds of competition. When the final round wrapped up, the official 3x3 results confirmed Ciarán Beahan at the top of the podium with a winning average of 7.18 seconds and a best single of 6.39. Cillian Hainbach took second place with a 7.50 average, while Prabhav Rajaram Nayak secured third place averaging 8.18. The two-round structure pushed 69 entrants to deliver fast, consistent solves to secure a spot in the final group.

Beahan extended his dominance across the larger rotational puzzles, sweeping every standard big cube category on the program. In the single-round 4x4x4 Cube event featuring 45 competitors, Beahan logged a winning average of 26.53 seconds alongside a best single of 24.99, finishing ahead of Hainbach in second at 32.00 and Elliott Laurent in third at 34.18. The 5x5x5 Cube followed a similar script, where Beahan took the title in 42.28 seconds, again outpacing Hainbach at 52.49 and Laurent at 1:03.88. Beahan also secured top honours in 6x6x6 Cube with an average of 1:17.70 and 7x7x7 Cube with a mark of 2:01.36.

The blindfolded categories demanded extreme concentration and flawless execution, where single-round setups amplified the challenge. Colm McCarthy pulled off a clean sweep across all three individual blindfold events, taking victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 24.03 seconds, where Ben Timmons placed second in 53.87 and Adam Bermingham claimed third in 1:15.82. McCarthy also stood alone as the sole finisher in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 4:15.84 single, and repeated the feat in 5x5x5 Blindfolded by recording a winning time of 9:59.11. Bermingham claimed his own gold in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by resolving 10 of 13 cubes in 50:02, leading Rían Burke and Finn Molloy on the podium.

Beyond the podium battles, Let's Go Carlow 2025 provided a stage for breakthrough personal achievements throughout the field. Lucas Harford slashed his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 1.52 seconds, an improvement of 74.6 percent, while also dropping his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 33.2 percent to 1:07.36. Yehor Dmytruk cut 62.2 percent off his previous 2x2x2 Cube benchmark to hit 1.80 seconds and took on his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube, recording 2:31.59. Samuel Niezgoda delivered a 4.37 solve in Pyraminx to improve by 56.9 percent, and Eddie Dunne dropped his Pyraminx best by 56 percent down to 6.91 seconds while tackling 5x5x5 Cube for the first time in 3:10.74.

First-time event entries and milestone solves continued across the roster throughout the weekend. Arsen Hereta took 55.3 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube personal best with a 1.44 clocking, while Ava Harford improved her Pyraminx mark by 53.8 percent to 9.87. Tiarnan Hogan entered 5 events, shaving 43 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube standard to reach 1.27 seconds. Daniel Strzelecki took on 11 separate events, recording his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 6:40.47, his first 6x6x6 Cube attempt in 5:44.81, and a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 2:37.80. First-time WCA competition appearances included John O'Reilly, Kalle Dunne, Mason Macken, and Morgan Ó Torna Evans.

The side events and sprint formats delivered rapid turnarounds across the weekend. Lucas Patrick Dowling clinched the 2x2x2 Cube title across two rounds, averaging 1.85 seconds to hold off Hainbach at 2.01 and Timmons at 2.72. Tiernan McCorry claimed the Pyraminx crown with a 3.05 average, besting a field of 63 entrants, while Ronan Finke won Skewb in 3.19 seconds. Jack Corr captured the Clock title with a winning average of 4.21 seconds, Prabhav Rajaram Nayak won Megaminx with an average of 33.83, and Cormac Finke topped Square-1 in 11.68 seconds.

With 43 podium spots going to solvers from Ireland, three to India, and one to Ukraine, Let's Go Carlow 2025 showcased the depth of the local speedcubing scene. The blend of high-pressure single-round formats and multi-stage ladders tested speed cubing skill across every puzzle style. As the 2025 cubing competition schedule moves forward into future tour stops, the performances recorded at The Seven Oaks Hotel stand as an impressive demonstration of all-around puzzle mastery.