Donegal International Rally

The Donegal International Rally is an annual car race in County Donegal, Ireland. It is one of the most important events in the Irish rallying calendar since 1972, and is one of the country's most challenging rallies. Organized by the Donegal Motor Club, the annual event begins and ends in Letterkenny.

The Rally has been one of the rounds of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship for a number of years.

History

1972 The winner of the first event was Cahal Curley. When the event began in 1972, it was based in Downings but afterwards it moved to Letterkenny.

1985 At the 1985 event there was just a one-second difference between the top two finishing cars.

2001 The event, along with most events that year, was cancelled due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

This was significant blow to the local economy. The event is estimated to be worth over €20million to the Donegal economy each year. The rally attracts approximately 120,000 spectators each year.

2002 At the 2002 event two marshals were killed. The two 22-year-old men, one from Moville, the other from Crossmaglen, died when a car crashed into spectators at around 2.00pm. Three men were also injured. The remaining stages of the event were cancelled after the serious accident on Stage Two. Andrew Nesbitt was announced as winner as he led the rally at the time of the accident.

This led to the Motorsport Commission to inspect safety at future events.

2008

At the 2008 event, an 18-year-old spectator died after being hit by a competing car at 3.30pm. The accident happened at Ballyare, about four miles from Letterkenny. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The road was closed and did not re-open for some time. Organisers cancelled the rally for the rest of the day and later announced that the event would be abandoned as a mark of respectRally ended as a mark of respect to deceased spectator – Highland Radio Eugene Donnelly was announced as winner as he led the rally at the time of the accident.

2010 On Saturday afternoon, 19 June, a co-driver died after the car he was in crashed on the Knockalla stage, south of Portsalon, shortly after 3pm. Thomas Maguire, aged 26, from Longwood, County Meath was killed and his driver, Shane Buckley, critically injured. As a result, the final stage of the rally was cancelled. This was the first time in the rally's history that a competitor was killed during the rally.

2019

The Rally continued to be a counting round of the FIA Celtic Rally Trophy since 2016. The event attracted a lot of international attention, including Ken Block who showcased his Ford Escort Cosworth. Ken crashed out at Special Stage 2 on the first day, but was back the second day under rally 2 rule.

Due to high traffic and spectator volumes, Special Stage 7 on the first day had to be cancelled as a safety measure. On the third day of the rally, 23 June at approximately 12:30pm, three-time and defending champion Manus Kelly crashed during a stage on the Fanad Head loop. His Hyundai i20 R5 went through a hedge into a field and was extensively damaged. Gardaí (police) confirmed that Kelly had died in the incident. His injured co-driver Donall Barrett was taken to hospital and the remaining stages of the rally were cancelled. A 41-year-old father of five and a prominent local businessman, Kelly had been elected to Donegal County Council less than a month before his death. Numerous politicians and representatives of the Irish motorsport community expressed sympathy to his family and paid tribute to the late champion, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling him a "phenomenal motorsportsman." At his funeral, 2014 champion Declan Boyle drove Kelly's Subaru Impreza S12B WRC before the funeral cortège, with Kelly's son in the passenger seat. Following the funeral mass, Kelly's brothers and friends carried his coffin across the Donegal International Rally ramp.

2020

On 12 March, all motorsports events were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. On 20 March, Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events were suspended until 1 June. On 28 April, the Tarmac Rally Organisers' Association (TROA) announced that the 2020 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship was cancelled. There were hopes that the event could still go ahead anyway, as a non-counting round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Shortly after the Motorsport Ireland announcement, messages on Facebook circulated that the Donegal Rally was cancelled. Other sources claimed that it had been postponed. Donegal Motor Club stepped in to correct the rumours that the event was not cancelled, and if permitted, would go ahead as planned on 19–21 June. However, after the government released a roadmap on easing the COVID-19 restrictions on 6 May, Motorsport Ireland released a statement the same day that, in line with Phase 4 of this roadmap, the suspension of all motor sports events was extended until the 20 July. Rally events fall under Phase 5 of the guidelines and would not be considered until after 10 August. The restrictions continued into 2021.

2021 As the country remained subject to restrictions aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the TROA made an announcement on 3 February 2021 to cancel the 2021 Championship. As vaccinations were progressing, at the end of May, Motorsport Ireland announced that motorsports events could resume from 7 June, subject to local restrictions. Remaining restrictions made it impossible for the Donegal International Rally to take place. Instead, a virtual Donegal Rally was held on the traditional days of the event – a series of virtual interviews, videos of past rallies, and social media posts.

2022 This year's event consisted of 301 kilometres over 20 stages. It was a counting round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the Celtic Rally Trophy. The starting grid was capped at a maximum of 160 competitors, plus 25 historic and 25 junior competitors. The starting fee was €1,600. The event was labelled as the biggest rally of the year in Ireland. An incident occurred where a 62-year-old man was arrested after damaging one of the competitor cars by cutting wires and the fuel lines.

2025 The 2025 Wilton Donegal International Rally was held over three days between 20–22 June. It once again was part of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The rally consisted of 20 stages totalling 271 kilometres. It was won by Callum Devine for the third year in a row. He finished just over 20 seconds ahead of Meirion Evans in second place. Former World Rally Championship driver and current ERC champion Hayden Paddon was a late entrant to the event and was second overall after the first day, however he retired from the rally after a roll on Special Stage 13.

2026 A teenage boy was killed, and other spectators injured, as a result of an incident on Saturday 20 June at Trentagh. Following this, the remainder of the event was cancelled.

Winners

Year Driver Co-Driver Car Notes 1972 Cahal Curley Peter Scott BMW 2002 1973 Cahal Curley Terry Harryman Porsche Carrera 1974 Cahal Curley Victor Armstrong Porsche Carrera 1975 Achim Warmbold John Davenport BMW 2002 1976 Brian Nelson Malcolm Neill Porsche Carrera 1977 Billy Coleman Austin Frazer Lancia Stratos HF 1978 Ari Vatanen Peter Bryant Ford Escort RS1800 1979 Brian Nelson Rodney Cole Ford Escort RS1800 1980 Jimmy McRae Mike Nicholson Vauxhall Chevette HSR 1981 John Lyons Bill Moffett Ford Escort RS1800 1982 John Lyons Bill Moffett Ford Escort RS1800 1983 Vincent Bonner Seamus McGettigan Ford Escort RS1800 1984 Billy Coleman Ronan Morgan Opel Manta 400 1985 Billy Coleman Ronan Morgan Porsche 911 SC RS 1986 Billy Coleman Ronan Morgan MG Metro 6R4 1987 Bertie Fisher Austin Frazer Opel Manta 400 1988 Mark Lovell Terry Harryman Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 1989 David Llewellin Phil Short Toyota Celica GT-Four 1990 Austin McHale Dermot O'Gorman BMW M3 1991 James Cullen Ellen Morgan Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 1992 Bertie Fisher Rory Kennedy Subaru Legacy RS 1993 Bertie Fisher Rory Kennedy Subaru Legacy RS 1994 Stephen Finlay Roy Campbell Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1995 Bertie Fisher Rory Kennedy Subaru Legacy RS 1996 Andrew Nesbitt George Millar Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 1997 Austin McHale Brian Murphy Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 1998 Andrew Nesbitt James O'Brien Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 1999 James Cullen Ellen Morgan Subaru Impreza 555 2000 Andrew Nesbitt James O'Brien Subaru Impreza S5 WRC 2001 Event did not run, foot-and-mouth disease outbreak 2002 Andrew Nesbitt James O'Brien Subaru Impreza S6 WRC Event Cancelled after Special Stage 2 2003 Andrew Nesbitt James O'Brien Subaru Impreza S7 WRC 2004 Eugene Donnelly Paul Kiely Toyota Corolla WRC 2005 Eugene Donnelly Paul Kiely Toyota Corolla WRC 2006 Andrew Nesbitt James O'Brien Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05 2007 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Citroën C4 WRC 2008 Eugene Donnelly Paul Kiely Škoda Fabia WRCEvent Stopped after Specia Stage 11 2009 Gareth MacHale Brian Murphy Ford Focus RS WRC 06 2010 Gareth MacHale Brian Murphy Ford Focus RS WRC 06Event Stopped after Special Stage 11 2011 Tim McNulty Paul Kiely Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2012 Garry Jennings Neil Doherty Subaru Impreza S14 WRC 08 2013 Sam Moffett James O'Reilly Subaru Impreza WRC 2014 Declan Boyle Brian Boyle Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2015 Garry Jennings Rory Kennedy Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2016 Manus Kelly Donall Barrett Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2017 Manus Kelly Donall Barrett Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2018 Manus Kelly Donall Barrett Subaru Impreza S12B WRC 07 2019 Sam Moffett James Fulton Ford Fiesta RS WRCEvent stopped after Special Stage 15 2020 Event cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Event cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2022 Josh Moffett Andy Hayes Hyundai i20 R52023 Callum Devine Noel O Sullivan Volkswagen Polo GTI R52024 Callum Devine Noel O SullivanŠkoda Fabia RS Rally22025 Callum Devine Noel O SullivanŠkoda Fabia RS Rally2

+* as of 2022+ Driver most wins Andrew Nesbitt 6 Billy Coleman 4 Bertie Fisher 4+ Driver most starts Robbie Peoples 29 Daniel Conaghan 28 Ivan Stewart 28 James Cullen 25 Thomas Keys 25 Austin MacHale 24 Seamus Gallagher 23 Damien Gallagher 23 Bertie Fisher 22+ Most stage wins Bertie Fisher 110 Andrew Nesbitt 103 Austin MacHale 81 Billy Coleman 61 James Cullen 60

Donegal International Rally

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