Who is that standing beside the Pope? Marty Fagan RIP

Desperately sad news reached me on Monday afternoon as I learned that the inimitable Marty Fagan had taken the chequered flag for the final time. Marty had battled various medical issues over the last number of years with his usual sharp wit and positive outlook and, even though I knew he wasn’t well, it was a shock to hear the news.

If you didn’t know Marty, well then you missed out. Simple as that. He was such a character, absolutely hilarious, and had nicknames for everyone, his own version of motor trade rhyming slang (Howard Keels were wheels, Stephen Fisks were discs etc). Marty was not only a paddock character in Mondello Park, but also a formidable racer. His cars were always beautifully turned out, from his Kebaberazz yellow 128 3P, to his Snapple 3 Door Ritmo and the lurid green Meakstown Cars machine. He was always there or thereabouts, even though he spent more time chatting and slagging around the paddock than fettling his machine and one of his best moments will stay with me forever. He was running right with the leaders in a full grid of Ritmos and there was some sort of “Fiatnam” schmozzle at Duckhams (Turn 3). I can still hear Robin Rhodes distinctive voice as the pack came back into view.  “And here they come….. back towards us into the main arena and I can’t quite make out who is leading……. It’s MARTY! It’s MARTY FAGAN!! At this stage, and this is immortalised on one of Leslie Regan’s famous videos, shot from above the grandstand, the entire of the packed stand started cheering and roaring. “Come on Marty, come on Marty!”  Marty leads the baying pack down the main straight and the crowd are still roaring and Robin Rhodes utters the famous words “If Marty wins this one, MARTAAAY will PARTAAY tonight!”

Robin wasn’t wrong, Marty was a great man to party. He was hugely loved and it always seemed he knew absolutely everyone. If you need anything these days, you Google it. Back in the day, you just rang Marty. His answer was always the same “I have a man for that!”, and he always did. The headline for this article refers to a  famous joke that was modified simply because it worked. The story was that Marty went to Rome on holidays and the Pope asked to see him. They had a chat and the Pope asked Marty to join him on the balcony. When they came out and waved , the crowd below in St Peter’s Square went crazy, clapping and cheering. One old guy at the back looked a bit confused and he turned to his wife and said “Who is that chap up on the balcony with Marty?!”

Back in 1998 I bought a Ritmo to do the Phoenix Park races. Marty agreed to prep and run the car if he could drive it in the second race, which I thought was a great idea. The car was collected and duly delivered to Marty’s “Race Shop”, the double garage beside his home house in Ranelagh.  It was no surprise that Marty had the car looking superb, a complete transformation, when I dropped in a week or so later. Bumpers and wheels were painted, decals were applied, but best of all was the team name. “No Fear” was a huge brand at the time and Marty, having copied their font, had named the team “No Hair” Motorsport, a hat tip to our similar hairstyles, or lack of! Long story short, wearing a Marlboro suit that Marty had borrowed for me, I managed to win the race. We adjourned to the kids’ face painter cos Marty said everyone needed to know we won, and then onto the Hole In The Wall where Marty entertained us all. The next day, he had to start at the back, but charged all the way up to fourth by the flag, despite not having raced in a few years. A great weekend all round and one we fondly spoke about for many years afterwards. In fact only yesterday a friend of mine, who had been doing some work for Marty, sent me a picture of the pitboard, still on the wall of his garage, showing Lap 0, Plus 2 and P1, obviously from the final lap of the Saturday race. 27 years later..

When Marty met Bernie, he had found his soulmate. They got on like a house on fire and Bernie, like Marty has a great sense of humour and tells a great story.  Like the rest of us, Marty got older and turned to classsic cars as opposed to race cars, but his brilliant sense of humour never left him and every time you met him, he had a great story. People like that are good for you. Every time you meet them and say “Any craic?” they never reply in the negative. In Marty’s case it was generally, Wait till you hear this one!”

Eddie Tucker, Jason Doyle, Marty and I had a WhatsApp group aptly entitled “Car Sh1te” and when we met for coffee, usually somewhere around the N7, Marty, equipped with plenty of stories, usually arrived in his beloved, and immaculate, Golf GTi Mk1. One of the last times we met, he told us the story about his brother Brendan leaving a young Marty in charge of his famous motorcycle shop in Ranelagh, “The Gem” A customer came in looking for a Kawasaki AR80.  They had a white one out the front and Marty, knowing the pricing, did a deal and sold the bike there and then. The chap paid up and rode off. Marty couldn’t find the logbook and promised he would post it on. He was delighted with this and looking forward to Brendan coming back until a chap came into the shop to collect his bike which was in for a service. The bike? You’ve guessed it, a white AR80!

I really don’t want to press “Publish” on this article, simply because more stories keep popping into my head, and people keep ringing with more and more Marty stories, a pretty impressive legacy. He leaves a huge gap, you just don’t meet many people like Marty Fagan and we will all miss him hugely. To Bernie, and to Marty’s family and many many friends, I can only offer my sincere condolences.

Marty’s final send off is this Friday and Bernie and the family have asked for people to bring classic cars if possible. Full details are available HERE.

Thanks to Con Connolly, for the fantastic header picture of Marty pushing on in the Meakstown Rtimo!

Leo