Motormouth’s Mutterings – We Are Off To Circuit Déjà Vu This Weekend

Do you remember that Easter buzz and all those great moments from an ill spent youth? The trip to Killarney and the Sunday Run through the Kerry Mountains? The classic stages like Molls Gap, Borlin, Tim Healey Pass, Killmakilloge, Ballaghbeama and Caragh Lake? The parties in the Great Southern Hotel?

Well Beatty Crawford and Plum Tyndall have organised an event to relive those carefree days on Circuit Déjà Vu when they recreate much of the old magic in the Kingdom of Kerry over this coming Easter weekend (26-28 March 2016).

“Relive the friendships, the cars, the stages, and the craic next Easter in Killarney at the Malton Hotel, (the Great Southern in the days of the Circuit). Join former drivers and team members, organisers and anyone who was a fan of the old Circuit format. Two days of fantastic memories and much more.”

THE PROGRAMME
Easter Saturday 26th March 2016
15.00 – 17.00 Registration & welcome glass of sparkling wine.
19.30 Welcome Dinner, star driver Interviews and an Irish cabaret.

Easter Sunday 27th March 2016
10.00 – 17.00 The Sunday Run.
19.30 Gala Dinner, star driver Interviews and dancing to 60s music

Easter Monday 28th March 2016
10.30 Farewell coffee morning.

Motorsport.ie, in the form of myself and my Dad Jack, will take part in what looks like a fun event and will head to Killarney on Saturday morning, arriving in time for lunch and possible the glass (or two) of sparkling wine mentioned above. Heading to Killarney pretty much directly from E Fox Engineers’  Classic Cars and Coffee event, our mount will be the trusty,  but gas guzzling, Mercedes 350SL. Not exactly the type of machine that you would have seen on a Circuit Of Ireland entry list back in the day, but still retro enough to tick the box and comfortable enough to get us to Killarney with the minimum of pandemonium, as my mother used to say. (Not without irony, that, as she was a great woman for a bout of panic at times!) With Plum Tyndall as one of the organisers, fun is pretty much guaranteed- as is the banter and craic on both of the nights. Having worked on a few events with Plum and his RPM-Motorsport crew, and even taken part in the Scally Rally with Barry Rabbitt alongside in our “Thirst Aid” Ambulance a few years, I learned enough to have already cleared the Monday and Tuesday following the event to recover! You can keep up with our  progress on Twitter HERE as we trace some of the most famous Rally stages in the country. I have already packed a GoPro too so hopefully we can capture some footage during the event to go with my blog afterwards!

“In the heyday of the Circuit, just about everyone in Ireland who had an interest in motorsport and many who didn’t, migrated to Killarney at Easter. The North virtually emptied. Killarney was where it all happened.” Dr Beatty Crawford- Organiser.

The Sunday run is the main part of the event, well certainly in terms of driving (!) with the route as follows:

Molls Gap,

Kenmare,

Kilgarvin, at the Kenmare end of the village,

Borlin,

Glengarriff,

The Healy Pass, south to north,

Killmakillogue,

Kenmare,

Blackwater Bridge,

Blackwater Tavern

Ballaghbeama Gap,

Glencar,

Caragh Lake,

Killlorglin,

Killarney.

Below is a list of all participants (not competitors!!) and as you can see, it is a pretty illustrious listing and includes many former COI winners and many other legendary personalities too. The six Circuit winners will who will be honouring the Déjà Vu event  have collectively clocked up no less than 23 wins in the Circuit of Ireland Rally’s long history!

Adam	John	Mervyn Elder	Ballymoney	1979 Ford Escort
Allen	Peter	Val Fulton	Dromara	2004 MG TF
Anderson	Ian	Deidre	Belfast
Birell	Graham	Yetta	Edinburgh	BMW Alpina
Blair	Bill	Nesta	Doagh	1957 Austin Healey 3000
Boyd	Brian	Derek	N’abbey	1991 Lancia Delta Integrale
Boyd	Adrian	Caryl Love	Belfast	Renault Alpine A110
Boyle	Martin	Margaret	Ballymoney	1964 Ford Anglia
Brookes	Russell	Julia	England	1987 RAC Andrews Heat for Hire Lotus Sunbeam
Brophy	Brian	Briege	Galway
Brosnan	Brendan		Kerry	1971 Ford Escort
Brown	Harry	Raymond McKee	Hillsborough	Hillman Avenger
Brown	John	Joanna	Worcester
Buckley	Martin	TBA	Cloyne	1983 Lancia Integrale
Buckley	Gordon	Ruth Buckley	Newtownards	1972 Ford Escort Mk 1
Buckley	Mike	Mary	Killarney	Porsche 911 3.0 RS Chequered Flag
Burke	Tommy
Callanan	Maria	Tom Callanan	Dublin	1954 TR2
Campbell	Sabrina		Cork	Audi
Cassidy	Jack	Mary	Coleraine
Caulfield	Pat	Glenn Caufield	Wexford	1984 Ex-Per Eklund Gp.A Toyota Carolla
Chester	Michael		Dublin	1982 Mercedes Benz
Clarke	Tom		Wicklow	1275 Mini Cooper S
Coleman	Billy	Carmel	Millstreet
Colton	Ed		Dublin
Condon	Nicholas	Maureen O’Driscoll Levy	Kinsale	Audi RS6
Conway	John	Anne-Marie	Cookstown
Corkill	Ian	Roz	IOM	1967 Austin Cooper S
Coulter	Andrew		Armagh	2001 Mini Cooper
Crabtree	Geoffrey		Kent	1966 Porsche 911
Crawford	Esler	Mary, Johnny Gleeson	Whitehead
Crawford	Beatty	Heather	Hillsborough
Cullen	Des	Angela	Dublin	2010 Mercedes 250
Cullen	Brian	Eleanor	Killaloe	2005  Porsche Boxster S
Curley	Cahal	Margaret	Derry
Daly	Bernard	Heather	Farnanes	Ford Escort Mk1 RS 1600 2.0 litre BDA.
Damerell	Darren	Paula	Lowestoft	Mini Cooper
Davidson	Anne	Evan	Bellaghy
Devlin	Noel	Deirdre	Dublin	Mini Cooper S
Devlin	Norman	George Hamill	Cookstown	Discovery Sport
Dixon	Mark		London
Doherty	James	Miriam	Adare	1971 MG Midget
Dougherty	Peter	Jennifer	Wichita USA	Hire
Duggan	Brian		Healy Pass	Subaru Legacy RS
Dunnion	Mike	Eileen	Portmarnock	1979 Vauxhall Chevette HSR
Eagleson	Jackson	Patricia	Dunboyne	2010 Mazda
Eakin	Maurice	Vanessa	Craigavon	MGA
Entwistle	Steve	Suzanne	UK	1275 Mini Cooper S – 33 EJB
Falvey	Todd	Mary	Killarney
Falvey	Robert	Susan	Killarney
Falvey	Mark	Geraldine O’Shea	Killarney	Escort RS1600 Mev. 36 J
Falvey	Connor	Catherine	Killarney	1978 Porsche 911 3.0 RS Monte Rep.
Farrell	Dennis		Oberstown, Meath
Fay	Pat		Navan
Feeney	Mike	Mary	Galway	Mazda MX5
Fennell	Frank	Kay	Dublin	Volvo Amazon
Ferriter	Noel	Brian O’Connell	Ballincollig	1974 Ford Escort Mk 1 RS 2000
Finlay	Richard	Evelyn	Belfast	Porsche Panamerican
Fitzgerald Power	Melanie	Tony Power	Dublin	2007 BMW
Fitzgerald-Smith	Ken	Vivien	Dublin
Frazer	Austin	Doreen	Enniskillen
Gillespie	Drexel	Maurice Beckett	Templepatrick	1973 Ford Escort Mk I FFZ 12
Graham	Margaret	Kieran	Ballymena	2001 Vauxhall Astra
Graham	Moira	William	Ballymena	2001 Rover
Greasley	Mike	Sue	London
Greenan	Joey		Downpatrick	BMW Alpina HI 1555
Grieve	Donald	Penny	Belfast
Grindrod	Ian	Kath	UK
Harden	Derek	Stephen Potts	Wiltshire	2008 Porsche
Harryman	Terry	Barbara Nelson	Bangor
Hennessy	Andy	Peter Murphy	Dublin	1965 Hillman Imp- Ex Rosemary Smyth ’65,’66
Hickey	Kevin	Matthew Twomey	Millstreet	1978 Ford Stw 200 r
Hogg	Richard	Melissa	Limavady	1969 Escort Mk1 1300 GT
Hopkirk	Paddy		UK	Mini Cooper
Irwin	Dawn		Enfield
Johnson	Andy	Heather	Killinchey	1979 Vauxhall HS YEB 624 T
Johnston	Mervyn	Michelle	Magherafelt	1979 Works Chevette HSR
Jordan	James	Paul McGrath	Oceanside, California	1975 Porsche 911
Kearney	Gus	Marine
Kearney	Pat
Kearney	Michelle
Kearney	Andrew	Audrey
Kearney	Gus	Breda	Clonmel	1987 Peugeot 205 Gti (Class winner)
Kelleher	John	Eileen Kelleher	Mallow	1977 Ford Escort Mexico “3453 PI”
Kelly	Donal	John Kelly	Ballyshannon	Mini 1275 GT
Kernaghan	Brian	Mirela and Leah	Spain
Laracy	Pat	Sue	Kilkenny	Opel Ascona 400  Rothmans Opel Team
Leahy	John	Irma Kirsteine	London	1987 Lancia Delta HF
Lillywhite	David		London
Llewellin	David	Richard	Wales
Lyster	Peter	Ken Shields	Australia
Malcolm	Maurice	Maura Keenan	Doagh	1963 Austin Healey 3000
Mathieson	Ross	Heather	Ballymena	1963 Mini “AMT 251A”
McAnallan	Kieran		Armagh
Mc Dermott	John	Eleanor and Ellen	Monaghan	1979 Ford RS 2000
Mc Gurn	Paraic	Patsy Keenan	Ballyshannon	MINI GT
McCarthy	Martin	Ross	Dun Laoghaire	1968 Alfa Romeo “201 EZA”
McCluney	Paul	Eunice and Ian	Jordanstown	1980 Reliant Scimitar GTC
McElduff	Mark		Caterham	Nissan GTR
McGarrity	Gerry	Elizabeth	Irvinestown	Honda
McGrath	Martin	Anita Lennon	Hillsborough	Sunbeam Tiger
McGuigan	Eamonn	Paddy Donnelly, Paul Mallon	Draperstown	2005 Audi
McIlroy	Trevor	Roisin	Belfast	1959 Sebring Sprite
McIlwee	Phonsie	Eileen	Milford, Donegal
McNally	Chris	Betty	Malahide	1982 Lancia Montecarlo
McQuillan	Donal	Kevin O’Kane & Peter McGill		2005 Audi
McRae	Jimmy	Margaret	Scotland
McWilliam	Des	Sue	Crosshaven	1934 Morgan F4 Trike
McWilliam	Tom		Southampton	1990 Peugeot 205 Mi16
Millar	Leslie		Portstewart	1956 Austin-Healy 3000
Mills	Stephen	Billy Coleman	Sydney, Australia	1974 Ford Escort “MEV 36J”
Morgan	Ronan	Ann	Dubai, UAE
Mulholland	Johnnie	John Mulholland	Randalstown	Porsche Carrera RS
Mulholland	Adrian	Terence Dillon	Bellaghy	MK 1 Escort RS 1600
Nagle	Denis		Cork
Nagle	Maurice	Angela	Killarney	1965 Mark 1 Lotus Cortina
Nagle	Paul		Killarney	Ford RS 2000
Neill	Malcolm	Irene	Reading	Ford Ka
Nelson	Brian	Maxine	Hillsborough
Noble	Barney		Downpatrick	1960 Ford 107e CAS 618
Nulty	Leo	Jack Nulty	Naas	1978 Mercedes 350 SL
O’Brien	James		Cork	Jaguar XK 120
O’Callaghan	Donal		Lissarda	1970 Alpine Renault (ex-works)
O’Callaghan	Daragh		Lissarda	1973 1300cc Mini Innocenti
O’Callaghan	Shane		Lissarda	1973 Porsche 911
O’Callaghan	Liam	TBA	Kanturk	1971 VW Beetle CZT 666
O’Callaghan	Trevor	Pat O’Leary	Mayfield, Cork	2000 Subura Impreza
O’Connell	Niall		Kildimo
O’Donoghue	Frank	Audrey	Dublin
O’Kane	John	Mary	Wichita USA	Hire
O’Neill	Michael	James Snowden	Bristol	1964 Triumph 2000  “BJB 341B”
O’Neill	Ken		Milltown
O’Neill	Dessie ‘Penti’		Milltown	Vauxhall Chevette
O’Sullivan	Dan	Mick Lonican	London
Patterson	Frederick	Angela	Dungannon
Patterson	Sam	Janine	Ballynahinch
Peel	Edmund		London
Phelan	Paul		Dublin
Porter	Nicky	Wendy	Durham	1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC
Preston	Rodney	Kenny Sorenson	Belfast	1971 Escort RS 1600
Quinn	Gerard	Eilish	Macroom	Ford Focus ST
Radley	Jonathan	John	Dungarvan	1973 Renault Alpine ZV 5079
Reilly	Martin	Clea van Der Grijn	Sligo	1972 2002 BMW
Robinson	Elkin	Christine	Dungannon	1964 Mini Cooper S
Rowan	Paddy	Mary	Cushendall	Skoda Fabia
Russell	Simon			Lancia Integrale
Scanlon	Frank	Denise	Tramore	1952 Triumph TR2
Seeds	David	Karen	Hillsborough	1961 MG Midget “621 RVK”
Seeds	Roy	Val	Hants	1974 MG Midget Mk4
Sheehy	Mark	Felicity Sheehy	Ardfert	Fiat 131
Sheehy	Mike	Joan Shhehy	Ardfert	1969 Fiat 124 Coupe
Sherry	Graeme	David Tait	Glasgow	1982 COI winning Chevette HSR
Shields	Ken	Peter Lyster	Belfast	Porsche 911
Short	Philip	Lyn	Yorkshire	2012 Audi R8 V10 Coupe
Smith	Rosemary	Mark Dixon	Dublin	Hillman Imp
Smyth	Derek	Anne	Londonderry	1969 Mini
Spence	Duncan	Amy McKee	Sark	Aston Martin DB9
Thurston	John	Linda	London	Jaguar XJ8
Timoney	John		Dunboyne	Ford RS 2000
Treacy	Martin	Elwyn Chivers	Donegal	Triumph TR7 V8
Treacy	PJ		Dublin
Treacy	Sean	Mo	Lisburn
Tuthill	Francis	Veronica	Banbury	Saab
Tyndall	Alan	Lynn	Hillsborough
Ward	Con	Sean Moynihan	Kildimo	Mini Cooper S
Ward	Fred	Barbara Ward	Portadown	Retro 1973 Toyota Celica GT
Williams	Barry		Leigh	Mini
Williamson	Conn	Liz	Glenavy	1971 BMW 2002 tii
Wilson	David	Christina	Glengormley	1979 Ford Escort
Wilson	James	Hillary	Armagh	1972 Hillman Avenger
Wylie	Mike	Mary	Wakefield	2013 Toyota Landcruiser
Wylie	David	Luke	London	BMW2002 Ti Ex-Warmbold
Yeates	David		Dunboyne