Fastest fingers in Ireland: The Kilkenny teen who cracked the Rubik’s Cube blindfolded
Adam Bermingham competed in the blindfolded competition at the Let's Go Carlow Speed Cubing event, which saw approximately 80 competitors go against clock in various puzzle solving challenges over a two-day weekend event at the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow. Picture: Larry Cummins
It's a case of fastest fingers first for teenager Adam Bermingham who has been getting to grips with the Rubik’s cube since the lockdown — and now holds a national record for solving the puzzle blindfolded.
The Kilkenny secondary school student, now aged 18, discovered the pastime shortly before the covid lockdown in 2020. The toy, which was invented as a teaching aid for architecture students back in 1974, became a source of fascination for Adam and helped him through that difficult period.
Since covid restrictions were lifted, Adam has been able to enjoy the social aspect speedcubing has to offer. His introduction to the speedcubing community came courtesy of Speedcubing Ireland who organise speedcubing events across the country.
The number of speedcubing competitors is now growing across the country. It comes amid former sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik’s induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in February.
Located in the US, the Toy Association also bestowed the honour on industry legends such as Build-A-Bear founder Maxine Clark and Edwin Lowe — who brought Bingo to the masses.
Adam, who specialises in blindfolded solving and routinely solves the 3x3 puzzle in under one minute blindfolded, gave an insight into his passion.
“I found an old Rubik’s cube and looked up how to solve it online. That led me down a rabbit hole. I saw that there was lots of competitions. However, they were mostly in the US. Then I discovered there was one in Ireland. It was held a week before the pandemic, so my timing was good. I’ve been addicted ever since.”
The pandemic offered Adam more time to practise than would have previously allowed.
“For months, I was doing it all day every day. It went from my parents encouraging me to practise for competitions to them trying to persuade me to take a break. That was when I realised how deep I was getting into it.”
It got to a point where solving the cube in the traditional sense wasn’t enough. Adam was determined to master it blindfolded.
His efforts paid off, and the teenager now specialises in solving the 3X3 blindfolded in one minute.
Kevin Timmons and his 18-year-old son Ben, who live in Limerick, also owe a lot to the Rubik’s cube. Kevin is a core member of Speedcubing Ireland, which was set up in 2019 and comes under the umbrella of the official World Cube Association. The group is responsible for promoting and supporting speedcubing events in Ireland.
The truck driver said he would never have considered speedcubing without the influence of his son.
“Ben got a Rubik’s cube in his Christmas stocking one year and that was how I got into it,” he said.
"I can’t see myself ever falling out of love with it. If Ben outgrew it or got sick of it, I’d continue with it — even though it wouldn’t be the same without him.
"It’s great to have because, in a few years time, he’ll disappear and won’t want to know me,” Kevin joked.
“For the moment, he is still enjoying the time we’re spending together. We have already planned on travelling to different countries for various competitions. We meet people from around the world at speedcubing events.
"Last year, we went to the European Championships in Spain. We want to visit the hometowns of some of the people we’ve met to experience speedcubing outside of Ireland.”
Speedcubing events encompass a melting pot of personalities.
“You really get people from all walks of life. If you take for example the delegates involved with Speedcubing Ireland, three of them are doctors, one is a pharmacist, and I’m a truck driver.
"Where young kids are concerned, you get some speedcubers who are big into their sports and others who wouldn’t dream of playing.”
Kevin said he is rarely without his beloved Rubik’s cube.
“We have two cars and each one has a 'car cube'. The Rubik’s cube is great because you can pop it in your pocket and bring it everywhere. It’s a lot better to be playing with it than a phone. I’ll often be in a restaurant playing with a cube instead of my mobile. I always have to have it with me.
"It’s reached a point where if I leave the house and I don’t have one with me I’ll turn back. Solving a cube is always very satisfying or at least that’s my take on it.”
Ben is glad to share the interest with his dad.
“The environment of the competitions would draw you in, and that’s what happened to my dad I suppose.”
Speedcubing Ireland chairperson Mary Hennessy is one of the few female speedcubers in Ireland.
“Only 10% of us are female,” Mary said. “I get asked all the time why there are so few females involved in speedcubing. Maybe there is a mistaken belief there that woman aren’t good at maths, I don’t know. It’s hard to know the root cause.”
The 29-year-old enjoys the camaraderie of speedcubing events.
“Earlier on, there were 30 people. At our most recent championship, there were more than 200 people. There are a lot of different techniques and styles.
"The blind solvers are very efficient because they need to cut down on the number of moves. The speedcubers, on the other hand, are trying to go as fast as possible. I learned a number of algorithms when I started that are now considered out of date. You are discovering more effective algorithms all the time.
"They love mixing and matching methods.” The pastime has had a hugely positive impact on Mary’s life.
“I can see eight cubes in my line of sight as I speak. They are never too far away. I’ve got a lot out of cubing. I have friends in Australia and the US, and I’ve met a lot of different people who I definitely would not have crossed paths with if it wasn’t for cubing.”
Despite being just 16 years old, Dublin teen Cillian Hainbach is already showing significant promise after coming sixth in the Rubik’s WCA European Championship 2024 last July as part of the 4x4 final. The teenager also enjoys cubing closer to home.
“The friends I know from cubing will sometimes come down from Galway or Kildare for a day trip,” Cillian said.
"They’ll watch from a distance and then ask if they try out a few. It’s better than playing video games, I suppose. However, you could be sitting at a desk for a couple of hours aimlessly doing it so there’s that side too.
Cillian’s family are very supportive of his cubing.
“I have a brother and a sister who want nothing to do with Rubik’s cubes but, when I went to the European Championships, they came with me. It was Spain, so they really wanted to be by the pool — but we made a family holiday out of it.”
Registration is now open for the upcoming Speedcubing Ireland event on Saturday, May 17 and May 18, 2025. The competition takes place in Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh.
