Skibbereen and District Car Club hosted Round 3 of the 2025/26 National Navigation Championship last weekend.
Clerk of the Course Ruaidhri Nash assisted by Brian Oakes organised the Carbery Navigation Trial which was a seventy-five-mile event based out of the Bandon Rugby Club.
County Monaghan Motor Club members and current national championship leaders Evin Hughes and Pakie Duffy finished in 3rd place.
Stephen and Ray O’Neill finished right behind them in 4th place and took a considerable victory in the Semi-Expert class.
Gregory Shinnors and Andrew Mackarel finished in 8th place.
Killian McArdle was competing in the UK over the weekend. Killian was navigating for Daniel O’Brien in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 on the Coppermines Grizedale Stages Rally 2025. In this six special-stage event held entirely in the Grizedale forest complex, Daniel and Killian finished in 6th place overall and 4th in Class 1.
The Motorsport Ireland annual awards night took place in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Santry Co. Dublin on Saturday last.
Ryan Treanor along with is Co. Longford driver Shane Dalton were awarded with their trophies for being crowned as the 2024/25 National Navigation Championship winners.
This was Ryan’s second time to receive this accolade, but it was Shane’s first. Although they are not defending their title this season, they did take on the role of organising round two of this season’s championship, Monaghan Motor Club’s Drumlin Navigation Trial.
Co. Monaghan Motor Club CLG have opened their club membership for 2026. Membership is available on the motor club website, Facebook and the Co. Monaghan Motor Club App. Just search County Monaghan Motor Club on your mobile phone’s app store to download.
The Killarney Towers Hotel Historic Rally took place last weekend. The Co. Donegal crew of Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy took the victory on the nine special stage historic event.
The Donegal pair took the victory on the final stage in their BMW M3 E30, as the leaders up until then, Kris Meeke/Noel O’Sullivan retired before the stage start with engine trouble in their similar BMW M3 E30.
Brendan McAree and Peter Farrell took their Porsche 911 home in 38th overall.
In the modified section of the rally, Gary McPhillips and Conor Mohan finished a well-deserved 3rd place overall and also finished 2nd in Class 7 in their Ford Escort MKII.
Killian McArdle guided Michael Cahill to 4th overall and 3rd in Class 7 in their Ford Escort MKII. Ryan Farrell navigating for Stephen Faughnan finished 12th overall. Unfortunately, Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grenna retired at the start of SS1 with engine issues and Johno Doogan/Paul Lennon retired before the start of SS1. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly retired after SS4.
Co. Monaghan Motor Club member all the way out in Australia Mac Kierans was back in action recently. Two weeks ago, Mac was navigating for Tom Dermody in the Adelaide Tarmac Rally. After the three days of rallying Tom and Mac took their historic spec Ford Escort MKI home in 7th place overall and 2nd in class.
Last weekend Mac was navigating for Johnny Drophy in a Honda Civic in the Lovells Alpine Rally of East Gippsland. This event is the second oldest rally in the world after Rallye Monte-Carlo. In this 280km gravel event over three days Johnny and Mac were sitting in 35th overall on Saturday until they broke a driveshaft and had to finish the event under Super Rally rules. They finished 65th overall and 8th in class C4.
The National Navigation Championship continues this weekend with the Skibbereen and District Car Club Carbery Navigation Trial. Clerk of the Course Ruaidhri Nash has laid out a seventy-five mile event based out of the Bandon Rugby Club. The first competing crew will depart the HQ at 21:31 on Saturday night.
Co. Monaghan Motor Club have opened their membership for 2026. Membership is available on the motor club website, Facebook and the Monaghan Motor Club App. Just search County Monaghan Motor Club on your mobile phone’s app store to download.
The 2025 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship awards night took place in the Sligo Park Hotel Co. Sligo last weekend.
The 2024 Sligo Pallets forest champions Derek Mackarel with his navigator Eamonn Creedon finished this year’s championship in 3rd place overall.
Jack Casey alongside navigator Ciara Duggan finished 2nd in class 9. The 2026 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship will commence with the Connacht Forest Rally on February 15th.
The 2025 Škoda Parts Ireland National Endurance Championship awards night also took place last weekend.
In this awards ceremony Evin Hughes finished 2nd placed navigator overall.
Andrew Mackarel and Richard Cassidy finished 3rd in the combined class of E and F.
The postponed Samsonas Fivemiletown Rally took place last weekend.
The event was originally to take place in February, but was postponed because of the damage to the forest tracks caused by Storm Éowyn.
On this eight special stage gravel event, Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes finished in 3rd place onboard their Hyundai i20 R5.
James McCarville and Arthur Kierans took their Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 home in 12th overall.
Tommy Moffett and Ryan Farrell took their Ford Fiesta Rally4 home with 22nd overall, 1st in Class 5 and they were the 3rd 2wd home.
Unfortunately, Derek Mackarel/Eamonn Creedon were forced into retirement while leading the rally, after clipping a rock on finish line of SS2.
Jack Treanor returned to driving in Kirkistown last weekend. Jack debuted his new j1000 spec Škoda Citigo. On this latest event in the Rallysport Association 2025/26 Winter Championship, Jack finished 2nd in class and gained valuable seat time in his new car ahead of the big plans he has for 2026.
Gregory Shinnors was competing in the infamous Roger Albert Clark Rally last week. This five-day world-renowned event began in Carmarthen (Wales) on Thursday before moving to Carlisle (North England), for stages in both England and Scotland and finished there on Monday. Unfortunately for Gregory and his driver Seamus Burke, they were forced to retire on SS27 (Twiglees 2) after sustaining damage to a link arm on the rear axle of their Ford Escort RS 2000.
The Triton Showers National Rally Championship awards night took place last weekend in the Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow. Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy are the overall winners of the 2025 championship following the eight rounds. In the classes, Domhnall Lennon finished 3rd navigator in Class 2.
In the classes, last year’s national champions Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty finished 1st in Class 5, with Josh’s brother Sam finishing 3rd driver in the same class.
In Class 10, Eoghán Farrell finished 2nd navigator while Peter Farrell finished 3rd driver. Following on from their 2025 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship victory,
Michael Conlon and Adam Langan were the winners of Class 12. Photo: Brendan Flynn
Michelle Quigley and Adam Langan pose for a photo after Adam accepts his award for winning Class 12. (Missing in general Michael Conlon)Photo Brendan Flynn
Unfortunately,Michael Conlon was unable to attend the awards night as he was busy getting lost in Ballinamuck. (More on this later). Arthur Kierans finished 3rd navigator in Class 13. Johno Doogan and Paul Lennon finished 3rd in Class 14.
The National Navigation Championship continued with the Midland Motor Club Navigation Trial on Saturday night last. Members of both Midland and Co. Monaghan Motor Club, Evin Hughes and Pakie Duffy organised an eighty-mile event, based in the area between Drumlish and Carrigallen.
CoCs of the Monaghan Drumlin Navigation Trial Ryan Treanor/Shane Dalton were seeded car one on the road and led the competing crews away from the 98 Hall in Ballinamuck at 21:01.
After departing checkpoint 1 (Tp1), it was immediately into the first of many farms used on the night to reach Via 1 (V1). After departing this checkpoint, it was into a very long narrow overgrown lane in Gaigue to reach Tp2. There was a trick for competitors here as there was an unmapped lane looking just like the intended mapped lane heading in the same direction. Anyone failing to notice this, haemorrhaged time correcting themselves or arrived to the checkpoint on the wrong approach. This trick caught out at least nine competing crews.
The first Supplementary Route Instruction (SRI) was received at Tp3 for the location of Tp4. Here competitors received a list of map gridline numbers that they had to cross in order to reach the location of the checkpoint.
The events second SRI was received at Tp4 to reveal the location of Tp5. This time competitors received a full route card of plots with the location of Tp5 in amongst the page’s thirty-three other plots. There was a trick here as on the reverse side of the page was a single plot for the location of Tp6. Anyone who failed to notice this would inadvertently arrive at Tp6 on the wrong approach enroute to Tp5. A third SRI was received at Tp5 for the correct route to Tp6. Competitors received a cumulative distance image tulip diagram with the images out of order. Any navigator who didn’t notice that the images were out of order would arrive at Tp7 instead and have to skip Tp6. Tp7 and 8 marked the first Time Recovery Section (TRS) of the event and gave competitors a chance to recover some lost time that accumulated over the opening nine checkpoints.
The Speed Regularity Section took place between Tp14 and Tp15 and brought the event towards Aghavas, before the event made an about-face and headed back toward Ballinamuck.
The next SRI was received at Tp22 for the location of Tp23. At Tp22 competitors received another cumulative distance image tulip diagram. The trick here was on the very first instruction. The first instruction informed competitors to turn right immediately. Unbeknownst to most, the checkpoint marshal’s car was parked disguising an unmapped lane (intended route), but there also was a public road T-Junction about two car lengths in front of them. Anyone who continued to the T-Junction would receive ‘Wrong Departure’ marks, but in theory could still locate Tp23 as turning right at the T-Junction brought competitors to the same location as image two on the SRI which was just 100m away. Tp23 was located on the same farm lane as Tp9, but had to be arrived at using an unmapped farm lane beforehand.
Once there, competitors received the final SRI of the event. This SRI was an intermediate distance herringbone tulip diagram. Competitors had to first plot the location of the start point for the tulip. The Tulip began at a farm in Camagh and brought competitors through a loop of the farm on unmapped lanes for Tp24, before continuing on unmapped lanes for Tp25. There was still plenty of confusion on the cards from here on as V3 and Tp27 were located in close proximity to each other in Brocklagh, and each required a separate ‘road goes’ for the correct approach.
There was a lot of complicated navigating between Tp28 and Control C as Tp29, V4, V5 and Control C were all within a short walking distance (albeit with wellingtons) apart. To arrive at Tp29, competitors had to firstly avoid V4 and 5, and after T29 competitors had to make sure to select the correct road goes to not miss V4 on the way to 5. This is complicated enough without the added confusion of cars going in all directions, some for T29, some for V4, some for V5 and some for Control C. After this rat race competitors were relieved to be returning to the 98 Hall for a well needed mind rest. When results were announced it was the local team of Sam Johnston/Colin Duffy who were victorious over the eighty miles and picked up just five lateness marks. They finished twenty marks better off than David McCrudden/Peter Deery, who finished 2nd and took 1st in the Expert class.
Peter Deery and David McCrudden accept their awards for winning the Expert Class from Evin Hughes. Photo: Keith Sheridan.
Conor Boylan/Derek Mackarel finished 3rd in the Expert Class.
Derek Mackarel and Conor Boylan accept their awards from Evin Hughes for finishing 3rd in the Expert class. Photo Keith Sheridan
Seán Marron/Aidan Keenan finished 2nd in the Semi-Expert class
Sean Marron and Aidan Keenan accept their awards from Evin Hughes for finishing 2nd in the Semi-Expert class. Photo: Keith Sheridan
Stephen and Ray O’Neill finished 3rd in the same class.
Stephen and Ray O’Neill on their way to finishing 3rd in the Semi-Expert class. Photo: Lorna Kennedy.
I wrote earlier, ‘Michael Conlon was ‘busy getting lost in Ballinamuck’. He was driving Oisín Sherlock in the event, and even with Oisín’s own mistakes, Oisín thought Michael himself was confused as to which of them owned M.C Blinds. As every few minutes Michael would exclaim, ‘Are You Blind Man?’.
The Co Monaghan Motor Club 2025/26 Gary Nesbitt Navigation Championship and the overall Traders Championship began last weekend with the Drumlin Navigation Trial.
The 2024/25 national champions Ryan Treanor and Shane Dalton organised a mammoth 120-mile event in the area between Roslea and Aughnacloy.
The Drumlin navigation attracted an entry of 36 starters as it was also a counting round of both the National and the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship.
Last season’s Gary Nesbitt Navigation Championship winners Conor Mohan and Michael Carbin were seeded car 1 and led the competing crews away from the Slíabh Beagh Hotel, Knockatallon at 21:01 on Saturday night.
The first four checkpoints were straight forward, even with having to travel through Knockatallon cross and a manned stop sign three times for Timepoints (Tp) 1, 2, 3 and 4. This section also included a Via enroot to Tp3.
Tp4 and 5 were located in the Stramackilroy forest, though the two timepoints were located just a few hundred metres apart, they each required two separate passes through the forest’s challenging gravel tracks.
Tp6 and Tp7 were located at each end of the Derrynasell West forest. The event from this point onward got very technical as the next fourteen checkpoints were all in the same area on the map which made competitors maps very muddled and navigators had to be extremely careful not to accidently arrive at checkpoints twice or out of sequence.
In the middle of this maze, was the first two of the events eight Supplementary Route Instructions (SRI). At Tp15 competitors received an intermediate Herringbone Tulip Diagram to lead them to the location of Tp16. Once they reached Tp16, they would receive another instruction to guide them to Tp17. The route to Tp17, involved using an unmapped lane and a river crossing to reach the safety of its location. The difficulty of this section is evident from the results sheet, as every single competitor acquired lateness penalties (marks) or missed one or both checkpoints entirely.
Control B (CB) was where competitors could catch a brief break from the plethora of checkpoints in the same area as the event began to move toward Carrickroe.
The first Speed Regularity Section (SRS) began at Tp21 in Feebaghduff. This section was timed to the second, travelling at 28mph average speed and brought competitors to Corryarbeg. The last part of the SRS would pass by the location of TPs 37, 38 and 39, Tps that wouldn’t be used for a number of hours yet. The events third SRI was received at Tp26. Here competitors had to draw out trace diagrams to reveal the location of Tp27 and Tp28. It was vital to draw both trace diagrams before leaving Tp26, as Tp28 was located on the shortest route to Tp27. Tp29 and 30 were back on the pre plotted route, before it was time for CC and CD at McAnenly’s Service Station.
The events second SRS began at CD and this time it was set at 30mph. It brought the event towards Davagh cross. The secret check car was located at Fort Singleton, where a private lane that followed the same contours of the public road was the most inviting to travel. Anyone failing to keep on the public road would inevitably receive a ‘wrong approach’ at the check car or, drop considerable average speed correcting themselves. This trick was a nightmare for many as only four competing crews avoided acquiring marks on this SRS.
Another SRI was collected at Tp35 for the location of Tp37. This Clock Face Diagram brought crews to Killylough. It was vital that navigators plotted its location on their map as its location was on the shortest route between Tp37 to Tp38. Anyone failing to notice this would inevitably pass through this checkpoint again and receive a ‘Double Visit’ mark.
It was up over Bragan mountain now for Tp42 through Tp50. Another SRI was received at Tp44 (Rock Bridge). Here competitors received a poem Seamus Heaney himself would be proud of. Hidden in this six-verse poem was a ‘Spot Hight’ (Location) and the approach and departure for the Tp.
The penultimate SRI was collected at Tp50 to reveal the location of Tp51. At Tp51 the final SRI was received. For Tp52, competitors had to travel under a washing line between a dwelling house and a garage to join an unmapped lane to the TP. Unsurprisingly, all competitors were hung out to dry here as every competitor either didn’t find the TP, dropped a lot of time or were over their maximum allowance of 15 minutes lateness.
At the end of this challenging event, it was the 2024/25, Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship winners Evin Hughes and Pakie Duffy
who took a well-earned victory by 3 marks over Conor Boylan/Derek Mackarel.
The Co. Donegal pairing of Ciaran Coyle/Shane Laverty finished in 3rd place.
After the awards were presented, both the Clerk of the Course Ryan and the overall winner Evin thanked all the residents along the route, landowners and marshals for making the event a huge success. They also thanked the staff of the Slíabh Beagh Hotel and the people who looked after the results and the catering during the event.
Conor Maguire presents the CoC award to Ryan Treanor and Shane Dalton for all their hard work in organising the navigation trial.
10th Patrick O’Leary/Trevor O’Callaghan (Subaru Impreza) 211m.
Mohan wins in the Forest
Conor Mohan and Eamonn Kelly put the disappointing end their 2025 Junior World Rally Championship campaign well behind them on the McCafferty’s Bars Donegal Forestry Rally on Saturday.
Conor and Eamonn took a start to finish victory over the event’s four stages and came out with a winning margin of 31.1s of David Kelly/Shane Buckley. Derek Mackarel/Eamonn Creedon finished in 6th overall. Damien Connolly guided Oran England to 15th overall and 2nd in Class 2. Jack Casey finished 55th overall and 2nd in Class 9.
Killion McArdle was navigating for Aoife Rafferty in Spain last weekend. The pair retired on SS3 with mechanical trouble.
County Monaghan Motor Club 