Rally of the Lakes
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The Rally of the Lakes, known as the Assess Ireland International Rally of the Lakes, is an on-road rallying event held in the south-west of Republic of Ireland. It takes place each year on May bank holiday weekend. Organised by Killarney and District Motor Club, the rally has been running since 1979.[1] Traditionally, it starts in Killarney and runs across County Kerry. For a number of years it has been the third/fourth round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The Killarney and Distric Motor Club also organises the Killarney Historic Rally. This takes place each year at the end of November.
Callum Devine Noel O'Sullivan| Category | Rally |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1979 |
| Drivers' champion | Callum Devine |
| Co-Drivers' champion | Noel O'Sullivan |
| Irish Tarmac Rally Championship | |
 Current season | |
| Rally of the Lakes | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 1, 2026 - May 3, 2026 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location | County Kerry |
| Country | Ireland |
Most recent | 2026 |
| Organised by | Killarney and District Motor Club |
| Sponsor | Assess Ireland Gleneagle Hotel |
| Website | rallyofthelakes.com |
History
2020-2021
The event was planned to take place on 2–3 May 2020. On 12 March, all motorsport events were postponed in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.[2] On 20 March, Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events were suspended until 1 June 2020.[3] [4] On 28 April, the Tarmac Rally Organisers' Association announced that the 2020 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is cancelled.[5] The event can still go ahead anyway, but will not be a counting round of the ITRC. No further announcements came from the club, the event did not take place.[6] Due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 event was also cancelled.
Previous winners
| Year | Driver | Co-Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Billy Coleman | Brendan Neville | Ford Escort RS |
| 1980 | Ger Buckley | John Caplice | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1981 | Demi Fitzgerald | Leo Whyte | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1982 | James Doherty | Michael Curley | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1983 | Billy Coleman | Con Murphy | Opel Ascona 400 |
| 1984 | Billy Coleman | Ronan Morgan | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1985 | Billy Coleman | Ronan Morgan | Ford Escort G3 |
| 1986 | Austin McHale | Christy Farrell | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1987 |  Mark Lovell | Roger Freeman | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1988 | Austin McHale | Ronan McNamee | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1989 | Russell Brookes | John Brown | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1990 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | BMW M3 |
| 1991 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 |
| 1992 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1993 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1994 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1995 | Frank Meagher | Pat Moloughney | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1996 | Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1997 | Austin McHale | Brian Murphy | Toyota Celica 4WD Turbo ST185 |
| 1998 | James Leckey | George Millar | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1999 | Ian Greer | Dean Beckett | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 |
| 2000 | Stephen Finlay | Rory Kennedy | Ford Focus WRC |
| 2001 | No Rally - Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak | ||
| 2002 | Andrew Nesbitt | James O'Brien | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2003 | Eugene Donnelly | Paul Kiely | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2004 | Derek McGarrity | Dermot O'Gorman | Subaru Impreza |
| 2005 | Andrew Nesbitt | James O'Brien | Subaru Impreza |
| 2006 | Tim McNulty | Anthony Nestor | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2007 | Kris Meeke | Jonas Andersson | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2008 | Eamonn Boland | Damien Morrisey | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2009 | Tim McNulty | David Moynihan | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2010 | Denis Cronin | Helen O'Sullivan | Subaru Impreza |
| 2011 | Daragh O'Riordan | Tony McDaid | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2012 | Daragh O'Riordan | Tony McDaid | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2013 | Garry Jennings | Neil Doherty | Subaru Impreza WRC S12B |
| 2014 | Sam Moffett | James O'Reilly | Ford Fiesta WRC |
| 2017 | Conor Murphy | Damien Fleming | Honda Civic WRC |
| 2018 | Manus Kelly | David Gleeson | BMW E30 |
| 2019 | Craig Breen | Paul Nagle | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2020 | Cancelled, COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2023 | Callum Devine |
Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2024 | Callum Devine |
Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2025 | Callum Devine |
Noel O'Sullivan | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 |
| 2026 | Callum Devine |
Noel O'Sullivan | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 |
Partners and Sponsors
- Killarney and District Motor Club
- The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney
- Ordnance Survey Ireland
- Rentokill Initial
- Aherns.ie Motor Group