'They were the backbone of the sport': Competitors killed in Sligo rally named locally

Gene McDonald and Daire Maguire

The two rally drivers killed in Sligo on Sunday have been hailed as men who were “the backbone of the sport.” 

The pair have been named locally as driver Gene McDonald of Cootehill, Co Cavan, who was in his 30s, and co-driver Daire Maguire of Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, who was in his 40s.

They were just 5km into their second running of the third stage of the Sligo Stages Rally (Stage 6) at 3pm on Sunday when their Ford Escort hit a wall at Carrowcushcly.

Rally organisers, the Connacht Motor Club, immediately activated their major incident protocol and suspended the rally. 

Emergency services and a doctor rushed to the scene and were on site within four minutes. 

All competitors were told to return to the service park in Collooney and the rally was terminated. However, both men are believed to have died instantly. 

Their remains were removed to Sligo University Hospital on Sunday evening where autopsies will take place today.

“Two nicer fellas you would never have met,” a member of the roadside crews told the Irish Examiner.

“They were very experienced. The backbone of the sport. I was chatting to them all day. It’s just one of those freak things. You do everything to make it safe, you would never have seen it coming. The whole sport will raise the bar to make sure it never happens again,” he said.

The rally community is just one big family. These two lads would have been known all over the 32 counties. There wouldn’t be one corner of Ireland where they wouldn’t have been known.

Both victims had been involved in rallying for “years if not decades” and were married with young families.

The road at Carrowcushcly is a very straight but narrow stretch of local road and was about halfway through the 10km Stage 3 route of the rally. While weather conditions in Sligo had improved considerably by 3pm on Sunday, rally volunteers described the road conditions as still “damp”. 

The men were driving a Ford Escort Mark 2, originally built in the 1970s or 80s but which had been completely rebuilt. 

“It would have been stronger than a modern car,” according to rally sources and would have been examined by safety crews the day before “inch by inch.” 

Motorsport Ireland president Aiden Harper said all competitors would have familiarised themselves with the route and driven it at least three times on Saturday before Sunday’s rally began at 9am.

Aiden Harper, president of Motorsport Ireland. Picture: Martin Walsh.

“The rally was well underway at that point and our competitors would have driven that road twice already yesterday,” he said.

“It's important to say as well that competitors go out the day before the rally and they do a reconnaissance on the stages. They make their safety notes and they drive every stage three times at road speed just checking and making their own notes as to how they will perform the following day. So, they do their full reconnaissance the day before and then they go into competitive mode then on the day itself,” he said.

Our condolences and sympathies of Motorsport Ireland and the organisers here in Connacht Motor Club are with the families and will continue to be so as they continue this journey together.

Motorsport Ireland has initiated its own investigation alongside the Garda investigation into the incident. It is the first fatal crash to claim the lives of rally competitors in Sligo and the first fatality in Ireland since the death of rally driver Manus Kelly at the Donegal rally in June 2019.

The rallying community was only just coming to terms with the death of driver Craig Breen who was killed test-driving a route in Croatia on 13 April.

“We will work with all the local authorities and the organising club here to ascertain the full facts of the incident,” added Mr Harper.

Motorsport Ireland sporting manager Art McCarrick said Sunday was "a very difficult and dark day for our sport" and appealed to members of the public not to circulate video footage of the fatal accident but to share it with the gardaí.

Tributes

Meanwhile, Cavan Motor Club extended its “deepest sympathies” to the families and friends of its club member Mr McDonald, and to the loved ones of Mr Maguire.

“Both Gene and Daire were highly regarded in the sport, and their friendly manner knew no bounds,” it said.

“The motorsport family will gather to support all those involved and affected by this tragedy.

“May the kind souls of Gene and Daire rest eternally in peace. ‘Til we meet again.” 

A Facebook page dedicated to the past pupils at Ballagh and Donagh Primary School offered its “sincere condolences” to Mr Maguire’s family.

“May he rest in peace. Thinking of Eamon, Bernie, Catherine, Conor, Eamon Jnr, his wife Breda & children and the extended families. Such heartbreaking news,” it said.

Retail company Cadco NI paid tribute to their colleague Mr Maguire and offered sympathies to his family.

“Daire was one of life’s true gentlemen, a highly respected member of staff by both customers and colleagues and will be missed immensely by all,” a statement posted to Facebook said.

“On behalf of everyone at Cadco, we offer Daire’s wife and our colleague Breda, his children Megan and Christopher and his wider family and friends our most sincere condolences and sympathy at this difficult time.”

— additional reporting from PA