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sport · Friday 4 September 2026 · TBD 
Overload Canoe Polo Event
At Mullingar Harbour · Mullingar Harbour, Royal Canal, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
At Mullingar Harbour · Mullingar Harbour, Royal Canal, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
Overload is the national annual junior canoe polo camp run by Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo Club, and it is one of the most enjoyable spectator events on the Westmeath sporting calendar. Each September, young players arrive from clubs all across Ireland - Belfast, Cavan, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Tullamore and beyond - to spend a long weekend learning, competing and messing about in kayaks on the Royal Canal. If you have never seen canoe polo before, this is a fine introduction: it plays like a fast five-a-side basketball match, except everyone is paddling a kayak and shooting at goals suspended over the water. The Harbour setting, right in the centre of town, makes it easy to wander over and watch from the bank.
Overload runs across three days (Friday to Sunday) and mixes on-land drills with full water sessions. Teams of five paddle hard to move the ball up the pitch and fire it past the opposing goalkeeper, using their paddles to shield, pass and intercept. The standard ranges from beginners to experienced club players, so the games cover everything from scrappy early-round chaos to tighter, skilful finals. Past events have drawn around 150 young kayakers, with coaches who came through the original Overload camp years ago returning to help the next wave of players. The club is affiliated with Canoeing Ireland, volunteer-run, and known nationally for hosting events at this level - they also stage the Irish International Open and the National Club Championships at the same venue.
Mullingar is the county town of Westmeath and sits about 80 km west of Dublin on the N4 / M4. By car the drive from Dublin takes roughly an hour; from Athlone it is around 35 minutes on the N52. Mullingar train station has regular Irish Rail services from Dublin Connolly (about 70 minutes), and Bus Éireann runs coaches on the Dublin - Athlone corridor with a stop in town. The Harbour is a short walk from the station and from the town centre. Parking is available along the canal bank and in the nearby town car parks.
The Royal Canal towpath makes for a pleasant walk in either direction from the Harbour, and the town has a good run of cafés and pubs along Austin Friar Street if you want to refuel between sessions. There is more to see in Mullingar and across Co. Westmeath.
Heading to Mullingar Harbour in Mullingar? Westmeath has plenty more to see. Read the Mullingar area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.