Motorsport: West's awake with opening rounds of all three Irish major rally championships 

The Galway, Sligo and Mayo motor clubs are the respective event organisers.

Donegal's James McShea (VW UP) won the J1000 category of the 2025 Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally Championship and was subsequently awarded the top prize in the Craig Breen Foundation. Picture: Martin Walsh.

The West of Ireland will host the opening rounds of all three Irish major rally championships in 2026 - the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the Irish Forest Rally Championship and the Triton Showers National Rally Championship - with the Galway, Sligo and Mayo motor clubs the respective event organisers.

It appears the organisers of the Irish Forest Rally Championship are set to announce a new sponsor for the series that begins with the Connacht Yeats Ridge Forest Rally on February 15 next. As revealed in the Irish Examiner last week, Sligo Pallets withdrew their sponsorship due to what the company's chief executive Andrew Mullen termed "ongoing and unresolved communication issues with the Forestry Sub Commission." 

Also last week, Rallies Commission chairperson Wexford's Graham Scallan hoped that the issues could be resolved. Although a meeting of the Forest Rally Championship with the relevant clubs took place on Tuesday night last, no communication has been issued. The Irish Examiner understands that the new title sponsor is well-known within Irish rallying.

Irish Forest Rally J1000 champion Letterkenny's James McShea (16) and series runner-up Cavan's Kyle Drury (15) attended the John Haugland Winter Rally School in Norway earlier this week as part of the Craig Breen Foundation prize package. In a press release about the J1000 series it was disappointing to see there were no references to Sligo Pallets support of the Forest series, surely out of courtesy alone, the company should have been acknowledged. This year, Sligo Pallets will underpin the popular Border Championship for a 15th season.

In addition to the Norway trip, McShea's prize package also includes financial support to the value of €5,000 split across at least three events; pacenote tuition with former WRC co-driver Killarney's Paul Nagle, a Hyundai Portugal trip with Sports & You where McShea will work with the team on a round of the Portuguese Rally Championship followed by a tarmac test in a Hyundai i20 N Cup Car with driver tuition from Sports & You drivers. Speaking to the Irish Examiner during the recent Boggeragh Rallysprint, McShea the son on Niall McShea, who won the 2004 Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) in a Subaru Impreza, revealed he plans to contest the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) this season. Financial support for Drury is €3,000 for events this season and Kilkenny's David Travers, who was third in the J1000 series, also receives financial support to the value of €3,000 split across a minimum of three rallies.

Launched in 2024, the aim of the Craig Breen Foundation is to continue his legacy with the creation of a prize package for young rally drivers (between 14-18 years of age) competing within the Junior 1000 class in Irish rallying. The foundation, along with its partners, gave a five-year commitment to supporting the development of young rally drivers.

In relation to the Tarmac Championship that begins with the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally (January 31/February1) Donegal's Eamonn Kelly, who competed in last year's Junior World Rally Championship, will debut a Toyota Yaris Rally2 car on the 16-stage encounter while fellow Donegal driver Joseph Kelly will also drive a Toyota Yaris Rally2 while yet another Donegal driver David Kelly has switched from a VW Polo GTi R5 to a Skoda Fabia Rally2. Reigning ITRC champion Derry's Calum Devine has entered in his usual Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 and former tarmac champion Monaghan's Josh Moffett is set to drive the Hyundai i20 Rally2 belonging to his brother Sam.

Tritons Showers are to continue its support of the Irish National Rally Championship that will start with the Mayo Rally on March 1st marking a return to Westport after a lapse of twenty-four years.

Meanwhile, Motorsport Ireland has confirmed that Pat Finn, its Head of Motorsport (a new role within MI) took up his position on Monday last. The Nenagh man takes office at a key and indeed concerning time in Irish motorsport with a Strategic Structure Review (SSR) currently being undertaken by Motorsport Ireland; the announcement of the outcome of a recent Court of Inquiry (due to today Friday); the continuing pause on appointments to the Motor Sport Council and the various Commissions within MI that remain unchanged from last year. Last month and also under the 'pause" umbrella Motorsport Ireland advised the three regional teams involved in the bid to host potential rounds of the WRC (Waterford, Limerick and Kerry) that it (the WRC bid) too was being paused.