This weekend is likely to be a defining moment in the annals of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. A glance through the list of previous winners reveal that drivers of World Rally Cars have triumphed since the Millennium, but that thread is tenuous as the new breed of R5 cars is set to bring the sequence to an end.

Donegal cousins Declan Boyle and Brian Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC) blitzed the opposition in the Martin Howley Donegal Harvest Rally in Killybegs, the final round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle (Ford Escort) and co-driver James Fulton took a controlled victory on the Midleton-based Imokilly Rally, round four of the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship.

There is a noticeable decline in the level of entries for most Irish rallies with some organising clubs struggling to run their events without incurring losses. Some events are down 30 to 40 entries compared to previous seasons with scarcely any club having maximum entries as was the case in former years.

A new dawn breaks for the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship on its opening round, the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally, which gets under way tomorrow.

Banbridge driver Kenny McKinstry (Subaru WRC) with Kenny Hull calling the pacenotes won the Carey Cleaning Machines Icebreaker Rally in the forests of north Antrim.

Aiming to win the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally for an unprecedented fourth time, Daragh O’Riordan (Ford Fiesta WRC) heads a close-to- capacity entry for what is the final counter in the Tritons Showers National Rally Championship and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 series.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) crowned a magnificent season with victory on the Acesigns Signmakers Cork “20” International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship.

Warrenpoint driver Peadar Hurson secured a splendid victory in the 4x4 Exporter Galway Summer Rally, the penultimate round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The timing of a press release from the Donegal Motor Club on Wednesday lunchtime stating its intention to continue as part of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship is hugely surprising.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Derry co-driver, Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC), won the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a second-placed finish in the McCormack Opel/Sligo Park Hotel Rally.

All season long Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) has been a consistent barometer of pace in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. 

Donagh Kelly and co-driver Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) took a strong victory in the Dooley’s Hotel Raven’s Rock Rally in Waterford, round five of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The battle for supremacy in the Joule Donegal International Rally in Letterkenny is finely poised with just 3.2 seconds separating overnight leaders Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings (S12B Subaru WRC) and co-driver Rory Kennedy from the Ford Focus WRC of the Donegal/Derry partnership of Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan. 

The Joule Donegal International Rally that begins this afternoon is the best-supported event within the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and also the only three-day event in Irish rallying.

Antrim’s Derek McGarrity has secured his fifth Tour of Sperrins Rally win to extend his lead in the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship.

Five-time Northern Ireland Rally champion Derek McGarrity S14 Subaru WRC heads the entry for tomorrow’s eight stage tarmac Ryan Bradley Memorial Tour of Sperrins Rally in Maghera, County Derry.

The in-form Donagh Kelly (Ford Focus WRC) can take a major step towards annexing the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship on this weekend’s Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. 

The Irish pair of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) took their maiden victory in a round of the World Rally Championship when they triumphed in Rally Argentina, round four of the series.

Motorsport: Back to back victories in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally are rare achievements.

The Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship breaks new ground this weekend as the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally makes its full debut in the series.

Motorsport: It’s six years since a Tarmac champion made a successful defence of the series.

The Dunlop National Rally Championship will be decided tomorrow, with the nine-stage Downings Bay Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally determining whether reigning Dunlop champion Declan Boyle, current leader Clonmel’s Roy White (MG ZR) or Welsh ace Hugh Hunter (Subaru WRC) will win the prestigious Vard Memorial Trophy.

The Acesigns Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship, resulted in a record-breaking four-in-a-row victory for Midleton’s Daragh O’Riordan and his Derry co-driver Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC).

With the lead changing three times on the final day of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes, Monaghan pair Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) took advantage of their rivals’ problems to win the Killarney based event.

On home ground, it is not surprising that there is a wave of expectation on Craig Breen to win the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally, round four of the European Rally Championship that gets underway in Belfast this morning.

Irish and Welsh contests are nothing new in the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally and Denis Cronin and Daragh O’Riordan will have Welsh ace Melvyn Evans as their most formidable opponent when the 13-stage event starts in Clonakilty tomorrow.

On December 2013 An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, made his public announcement that we as a nation were now out of debt, but still had a long way to go due to three years of scrimping budget cuts and much tightening of belts.

With their fifth win of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) clinched the series with an emphatic victory in the Clonmel-based Sepam Tipperary Stone-throwers Rally.

The Waterford-based Raven’s Rock Rally, round four of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, was stopped after six of the day’s nine stages after popular Dungarvan driver, Paul Mulcahy was killed when his Toyota Starlet collided with a stone fence on the fourth stage near Kilmacthomas.

Kerry, Wicklow, Down and Meath progressed to the next round of the Christy Ring Cup following Round 2 action this afternoon.

Celtic 5 Dundee 0

Smart finishes from Georgios Samaras and Gary Hooper sent Celtic seven points clear at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with victory at Dundee last night.

Dundee 0 Celtic 2

Neil Lennon has told Dundee’s former Celtic players they have nothing to prove to him.

Changes to the selection process for next season’s Billy Coleman award are unlikely — even though it is always under review.

On his debut in a recently acquired S12B Subaru World Rally Car, Donegal’s Declan Boyle took a dramatic victory in the Mor Oil Galway Summer Rally, round four of the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship.

Cork’s Matt Griffin is upbeat ahead of this weekend’s fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone.

Local hero and six-time winner Niall Maguire heads a capacity entry for Sunday’s Monaghan Rally that includes a 30k stage as part of a three-stage loop.

NEXT year’s Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally is one of four new rounds in the global Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) series.

A MEATH man has been sentenced to eight years for glassing a man in a nightclub “for no apparent reason”, causing him to lose sight in one eye.