This year’s IRTS Hamfest, our member Jeffrey cycled down to Mullingar and wrote this post.
Instead of taking the train or car, I decided to cycle the 95 km from Dublin, following the Grand Canal out to Adamstown, cutting across, and then joining the Royal Canal all the way west.
The journey had its challenges, with closed sections, impassable barriers, and detours that stretched a 10 km road section into 17 km. But there were plenty of highlights too. I love a good bundle, so along the way, I decided to take photos for the Wiki Loves Monuments project, trying to make sure everything on the national monument registry has a photo. That had me stopping at landmarks such as Ballyfermot Bridge and the 12th Lock Bridge, and enjoying a lunch break at the Boyne Viaduct, complete with a battery swap on my e-bike. I was even joined from Leixlip by a fellow club member for the journey.
By late afternoon, I arrived in Mullingar and settled into Hamfest.
Activity at Hamfest
Hamfest this year was buzzing with activity, with a wide range of groups and demonstrations:
- Collective Communication Radio Club had their trailer-based mobile station on show. It’s a fantastic setup designed to bring amateur radio right into the heart of communities, complete with HF and VHF/UHF capability, antennas, and a neat operating position. I had a great chat with their members about how they deploy it for outreach events.
- The Galway Radio Experimenters Club showcased Morse code trainer kits based on ESP32 boards. These little devices allow budding operators to learn and practise CW with built-in keyers, displays, and sounders with modern microcontrollers helping keep the oldest digital mode alive.
- The RAYNET Emergency Communications Group gave a live demonstration of AREDN mesh networking (https://www.arednmesh.org), linking radios into a network carrying VoIP, messaging, and data services. Seeing voice calls and file transfers moving seamlessly over amateur microwave links was a great reminder of the role radio can play in resilience.
- The EIDX Group had a stand full of stories and photos from their DXpeditions. They’ve activated rare locations around the world, giving thousands of operators new countries in the log. Their passion for bringing remote places onto the bands was inspiring.
- My own club, Tog Hackerspace (https://www.tog.ie), had a stand showing packet radio from Ben (EI9IUB). We had good discussions about how the hackerspace community overlaps with amateur radio with experimentation, DIY builds, and curiosity.
For me, a real highlight was sitting down to do some hands-on soldering. I had people drop in to chat while learning how to solder for the first time, and with others who were more experienced, sharing advanced techniques and discussing why we should all be switching to lead-free solder.
Social Side
Hamfest is not only about radios and equipment, but also about community. On Saturday evening, I joined the YOTA Ireland team and their invited guests. We played games late into the night, before moving on to share stories well past midnight. While there was no campfire this year, we improvised with hot water bottles (thanks to Ana!) to keep warm.
On Sunday morning, the car boot sale was a highlight. After rummaging through the tables, I found an adjustable bench power supply for just €15, a proper bargain, and a reminder that Hamfest always has surprises in store.
The Return Journey
After two full days of activity, it was time to cycle home. I had company on the way down for the chats, and an audiobook kept me going on the solo cycle back. The return trip began under grey skies, with a 45-minute rain shower outside Kilcock. After a battery swap at 54 km, the sun reappeared, and I made good progress along the Royal Canal. I arrived back in Dublin about an hour quicker than on the outbound trip, helped by fewer photo stops and no sit-down lunch.
Thanks also to Ben (EI9IUB) & Conor(EI3020) for bringing down the soldering gear and my tent, which allowed me to cycle bag-free. It made the whole adventure a lot more manageable.
This being the first-ever IRTS Hamfest, it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout, a variety of engaging stands, and plenty of opportunities for learning and socialising. It was a fitting start to what I hope will become a regular highlight of the Irish amateur radio calendar. You can see even more photos of the event in our gallery.