West Cork Rally week – the Kerry crews

West Cork Rally week – the Kerry crews

The countdown to the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally 2026 is officially on, and the Kingdom’s presence is felt right at the sharp end of the entry list.

 Fresh from a dominant maiden victory at the Mayo Stages, Donegal’s David Kelly arrives in West Cork looking to keep that momentum rolling in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. He is reunited with Killarney co-driver Shane Buckley.

The modified battle sees the long-awaited return of Conor Murphy and Sean Collins. After a 15-month hiatus, the Killarney-Rathmore duo brings their powerful 2.5-litre Ford Escort Mk2 back to the stages.

They face competition within the Kerry ranks, including drift star Conor Shanahan, who has recruited Glenflesk’s Kieran O’Donoghue to call the notes in his 2.4-litre Escort.

 Meanwhile, Kenmare veteran and West Cork regular Vincent O’Shea returns in the Darrian T90 GTR with Eoin O’Donoghue on the notes.

Further down the Escort field, Mike Quinn makes what is believed to be his first attempt at this iconic event, joined by Kieran Doherty.

Former Kingdom of Kerry champion Tommy Mason is also back in action with Paul McGlinchey, while Peter Kelly and Maurice McElligott make a rare but welcome outing in their Mk2.

In the four-wheel-drive Rally3 class is Richard O’Lone (Dungannon) / Elaine Ni She (Kerry) in a Ford Fiesta.

In the front-wheel-drive ranks, Tralee’s Darren Young and Pa Lawlor represent the Southern 4 Championship frontrunners in their Honda Civic

The service park will also see a notable reunion as Killarney engineer John Hickey teams up with Natasha Murphy in his Subaru Impreza.

This pair last shared the car during the Fastnet Rally in October and will be looking for a reliable run over the three-day marathon.

 In the hunt for Irish Tarmac Championship honours, Kenmare’s Shane McCarthy and David Doyle continue their Class 11F title chase in their Civic, while the father-and-son team of Willie and John Power bring their distinctive Darrian T90 GTR from Firies to compete in Class 13.

The entry list also features Mossie Costello, who is still in search of a co-driver for his Ford Fiesta Rally4, and Fossa’s Sam Leech, a regular face in his Honda Civic EP3.

Adding a bit of local flavor, Sean Nolan returns to his “home away from home” alongside Barry McIntyre, a rally Nolan never misses given his family ties to Clonakilty.

Ballybunion’s Sean Hartnett is another making his event debut, joined by Nathan Lawlor, while the Killarney-Beaufort duo of Daniel O’Connor and Michael O’Shea add further depth to the Kerry Civic contingent.

In the Historic section, the sound of the BMW M3 will echo through Ardfield as Fergus O’Meara and Brian Duggan lead the Kerry charge in the H3 class. Duggan, well-known for his work with Rally.ie, will be looking to guide O’Meara to a category win.

They are joined in the historic ranks by Denny Greaney, who travels from Castleisland to co-drive for Ronan Campbell in an Escort Mk2.

The Junior category is heavily influenced by Killarney and District Motor Club talent. Cork’s Kyle Browne and KDMC’s Mark O’Leary lead the way in a Civic, followed by the all-KDMC crew of Dylan Sheehan and Darragh Lynch.

Adding some much-needed variety to the Junior field, beginners Conor Horgan and Aaron O’Halloran have opted for a Citroen Saxo, a refreshing change of machinery for the Aghadoe-Tralee pairing