Rally legends to gather for Circuit of Kerry's 50th Anniversary

A who's who of Circuit of Kerry Rally drivers and organisers are expected at the 50th-anniversary reunion in the Rose Hotel on March 8.

Since 1975, the rally has seen six local winners.

John Crone, the first Kerry Motor Club co-driver to win (1989), navigating for Mike Pattison, will return from Cobh.

 A well-known photographer, some of Crone's work from Kerry rallies in the 70s and 80s will be displayed.

Killarney’s Donie O’Sullivan, who with Paul Nagle won in 2004, will attend.  Later that year the Ford Focus WRC crew competed on Rallye Catalunya in Spain and that rally propelled Nagle to a career in the World Rally Championship,

 Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley, winners in 2012, and the latest local victor, Alan Ring (2015), will also be present.

Cork’s Ger Buckley, the most successful driver in the rally's history (1976, 77, 79, 80 and 81). Although Ger is not yet confirmed, members of the Buckley family will be there to represent the Banteer man.

Buckley’s last win in 1981 was at the wheel of a Vauxhall Chevette HSR, a car that has its own Circuit of Kerry history.  It was subsequently owned by Demi Fitzgerald, who won the rally in the same car in 1982 and 1983. The fully restored Chevette, in Buckley’s iconic colours, will be on display.

1996 winners Stephen Murphy and MJ Morrisey will also attend.

Morrisey’s connection goes back to the second-ever Circuit of Kerry in 1976 when his name was on the entry list.  He is the current Masters World Rally Champion, having clinched that official  FIA title alongside Eamonn Boland last year.

Original organisers, including Clerk of the Course Mike Marshall and Deputy Clerk Rae Kelliher, are confirmed.

The reunion is part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations, kicking off with a launch event at the Rose Hotel on March 8 at 6 pm.  The 2025 Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry  Rally takes place on March 30.

extra special, marking the 50th anniversary of the rally's start back in 1975.

There is an open invitation to everyone involved with the Circuit of Kerry since 1975 – past competitors, organisers, marshals, fans, and anyone with a connection to the event to attend the launch and reunion on March 8 at the Rose Hotel from 6 pm to 9 pm.

The evening will begin with a formal launch where clerk of the course Jonathan O’Shea and his organising team will announce further details of the rally.

This will be followed by an informal reunion in Dott’s Bat in the hotel later that evening.  

A display of Circuit of Kerry memorabilia, including official programmes and other items of interest, will be on show, and the club encourages attendees to bring along any memorabilia they might have to share.

The 2025 route will revisit the classic Camp Mountain stage, a key part of the original 1975 rally.  

The Circuit of Kerry is part of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship, and the Moriarty’s Central Car Sales Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship.  The rally will also host the new Dacia Sandero Rally Cup.

Following  the success of the Kerry Winter Rally in November, the North Campus of the Munster Technological University will host the rally’s service park.