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The Modern Tyres Ulster Rally is being held in the Newry / Banbridge area this weekend. This international event is a round of both the Irish Tarmac and British Rally Championships and takes place on 18 and 19 August 2023.
Welcoming the event back to Newry again Councillor Valerie Harte, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said how delighted the Council was to be able to again host this prestigious international sporting event.
“ We are especially pleased since the headline sponsor Modern Tyres is a major employer and investor in this area. We see this as an excellent opportunity to showcase the excellent facilities and scenic beauty of the area and extend a warm welcome to all the competitors and visitors to this area.”
Speaking on behalf of Modern Tyres, Rory Byrne said that “having enjoyed rallying for many years as a competitor I am very pleased to be able to provide support and facilitate the event in our new state of the art warehouse facility in Newry”.
David Gray, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Motor Club, which promotes and organises the event, thanked both organisations for their support, without which our enthusiastic band of volunteers could not run an event of this magnitude and complexity. “We are particularly delighted with the Service Park facility at Modern Tyres which is one of the best I have seen in many years attending events throughout Europe”.
Wayne Turkington, Clerk of the Course of the 2013 Modern Tyres Ulster Rally reported that “preparations are well underway for what should be one of the key highlights of the Northern Ireland motorsport calendar. It is going to be fantastic to have crews from the two main Championships in the UK and Ireland resume their friendly rivalry here and to see who will come out on top,”
The event kicks off at 3 pm on Friday 18 August from Modern Tyres Carnbane Depot and details of the route and times can be found in the free Ulster Rally Spectators Guide which will be available to download from Tuesday 15 August - visit: ulsterrally.com to find out more. The Ulster Rally website and Facebook page will also provide a link to access video streaming of the event, which will run throughout both days with live coverage, results, and commentary.
The cars and competitors can be seen up close in the Service Park throughout the weekend and also at Regroups being held on Friday 18thAugust, 5pm – 7pm at the Civic Building, Banbridge and Saturday 19thAugust, 12pm- 1.30 pm at Armagh City Hotel.
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For the third consecutive year, the Newry based Modern Tyres Ulster Rally is going to be streamed to a global audience, with rolling coverage being provided across each day of the closed-road competition. The rally takes place tomorrow Friday 18 and Saturday 19August;
Fans unable to make it to Newry for the Irish Tarmac, British Rally Championship and European Rally Trophy-counting event can keep up-to-date via the official website – www.ulsterrally.com – as well as its Facebook page – www.Facebook.com/Ulsterrally – across both Friday and Saturday by HM Productions.
Xavier McCartan and Michael Patterson – two well-known voices in Irish rallying – will be on hand to provide commentary and expert analysis – and help make sense of the times as they come in.
This will be accompanied by footage captured during the course of the event using a blend of in-car and fixed position cameras, stage-end interviews with drivers and their co-drivers, as well as reaction between each loop of speed tests from a busy service park in Carnbane Industrial Estate.
Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington has confirmed the live streaming service is due to begin at 14:45 on the Friday and finish late that evening – covering the night stages, before resuming at 09:00 early Saturday and coming to a conclusion once the podium celebrations and trophy presentations have concluded late afternoon.
“The live coverage has proven very popular with followers of the event, as indicated by viewing figures from 2021 when it was first rolled out and again last year. The service is still a new concept for the Ulster Rally, but its success speaks for itself,” said Clerk of the Course, Wayne Turkington.
“Live streaming is an important way for spectators and indeed members of the media to follow the action from wherever they are in the world, and to show the event to a truly global audience.”
Further live coverage will be provided by the British Rally Championship, with Onthepacenote providing extra flavour to the immersive worldwide coverage.
The live coverage package is set to complement the highlights reel that follows in the days immediately after the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, with this focusing on the overall battle, as well as those crews from the British Rally Championship and also the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
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Adrien Fourmaux had to call upon every ounce of his FIA World Rally Championship know-how to seal a historic and well-deserved win on his first visit to the Newry based Modern Tyres Ulster Rally last weekend.
Fourmaux and team-mate Alexandre Coria completed the event comfortably ahead of runners-up Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan having been separated at one point by only 7.4 seconds.
After ten special stages – around half of which featured strong winds and standing water – the gulf between Fourmaux’s Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Devine’s Volkswagen Polo R5 was 47.7 seconds.
The significance of the result – Fourmaux’s fourth straight maximum score in this season’s British Rally Championship – was not lost on the Frenchman, who made reference to his boss triumphing on the same event in 1993 and again in 1994 at the wheel of a Michelin Pilot Ford Escort Cosworth.
“This is really a famous rally, so it is pretty nice to win here,” he said. “I think M-Sport won here something like thirty years ago with Malcom Wilson – so it is special to be able to repeat that.”
Devine also ended the Northern Ireland Motor Club event a winner. First of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship drivers home meant that he did more than enough to wrap up a first ever Tarmac title with team-mate Noel O’Sullivan – the reigning British Rally Championship winning co-driver.
“It was a different rally for us this time around,” said Devine. “We were looking after the car and trying to manage the Championship rather than trying to go for the outright win and to be honest that is not something that is easy to do as we found out but the Tarmac title makes it worthwhile.”
A late turn of speed took Jonathan Greer – this year’s Northern Ireland Rally champion – past the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Cathan McCourt on the penultimate stage and the Citroen C3 Rally2 driver consolidated the place over ‘Mount Pleasant Two’ to finish just 3.2 seconds behind Devine’s Polo.
There was also a late change of positions from fifth to seventh as outgoing Tarmac champion Josh Moffett slipped two spots on the last speed test to the benefit of Jason Mitchell and Robert Barrable.
In the class battles, Jason Black and Karl Egan were the Modified winners in their rear-wheel-drive Toyota Starlet from the Ford Escort Mk2 of Damian Toner, whilst Kyle White steered his Rally4-spec Peugeot 208 to success in the Junior British Rally field from Kyle McBride’s Ford Fiesta Rally4.
Speaking at the conclusion of the 46th Modern Tyres Ulster Rally, Clerk of the Course Wayne Turkington said: “When ‘Storm Betty’ arrived on Friday afternoon it made conditions tricky for organisers and incredibly challenging for crews with lots of rain and strong winds. Thankfully, when the weather front moved on the picture improved for Saturday and the sun came out.
On behalf of the organising committee, I would like to everyone who played their part in making the event such a huge success, from Modern Tyres and all our sponsors, competitors and all the volunteers, I want to say massive thank you.”
RESULTS – MODERN TYRES ULSTER RALLY
1 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 1h 35m 30.9s
2 Callum Devine/Noel O’Sullivan (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) +47.7s
3 Jonny Greer/Niall Burns (Citroen C3 Rally2) +50.9s
4 Cathan McCourt/Dean O’Sullivan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +57s
5 Jason Mitchell/Paddy McCrudden (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) +2m 46.6s
6 Robert Barrable/Gordon Noble (Citroen C3 Rally2) +2m 50.7s
7 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) +2m 52.8s
8 Garry Pearson/Daniel Barritt (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) +4m 57.5s
9 Neil Roskell/Rob Fagg (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +7m 2.2s
10 Jason Black/Karl Egan (Toyota Starlet) +8m 4.1s
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Micheál McCloy and his Futsal teammates took a step closer to the SUDS European championships on Saturday past when they were presented with their teamwear and playing kit. Micheál from Whitecross is competing for Ireland in the SUDS European Futsal Championships in Italy from 3 - 10 September. Various fundraisers have raised well over €12,000 for the team.
The presentation to the Irish Squad was made by team sponsor DHL, in front of family and friends at the Corduff Sports Centre in Blanchardstown. It followed the final team training session before they depart for Padova, Italy on Saturday. There was a lot of attention at the event with RTE Radio and the FAI Media Team in attendance.
The event was opened by Team Captain Josh Hennessy, who welcomed everyone in the hall. DHL Managing Director Bernard McCarthy told those assembled that regardless of the outcome, the team were winners already. It was a magnificent achievement to be part of the first ever Ireland Down Syndrome Futsal team and were to be congratulated for their huge efforts in fundraising everyone had done to get there. He wished the players and coaches every success at the tournament.
The lads have a significant challenge ahead of them – reigning champions Turkey have just completed a ten-day training camp. However, the Irish team has been well prepared by Head Coach Paul Smyth and Assistant Coach Brendan Corish, both FAI Football For All Development Officers. Team preparations will continue when the boys get to Italy at the weekend.
Republic of Ireland Down Syndrome Futsal Squad
Goalkeeper: David Crawford (Co. Donegal)
Defenders: Josh Hennessy (Co. Dublin), Jamie Linden (Co. Louth)
Midfielders: Cian Kelleher (Co. Cork), Micheál McCloy (Co. Armagh), Sean Toolin (Co. Waterford)
Forwards: Daniel O’Reilly (Co. Donegal), Hughie Sweeney (Co. Donegal)
Quoting President Nelson Mandela, team organiser Tessa van Heerden said “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” She added that the Irish athletes traveling to the SUDS European Championships, “are inspiration to all of us”.
Micheál finished the day, by presenting a cheque for €12,205.66 to Tessa van Heerden & Sanet Jordaan (organisers for the Down Syndrome team). This sum is a combined total from fundraising events (Coffee Mornings, Draw & Auction & Street Collection) along with donations and sponsorship received from supporters & local businesses.
The support for Micheál has been fantastic.
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With four players from Armagh and Down taking part in the upcoming Australian Football League Women’s season, it's welcome news that TG4 will be broadcasting weekly matches and highlights from the upcoming AFLW season.
Armagh sisters Bláithín and Aimee Mackin line out for Melbourne Demons while fellow orchard county star Amy Mulholland lines out for Freemantle. Down's Clara Fitzpatrick also lines out for the Gold Coast Suns.
A record thirty-three Irish players will take the field this season with sixteen Irish Counties represented. Mayo lead the pack with six players with Tipperary a close second with five. The full player list is below.
The AFLW Competition begins this weekend with eighteen teams battling it out to see who will reach the Grand Final on December 2nd.
TG4 will broadcast two matches deferred each weekend as well as weekly highlights as part of GAA 2023 on Monday evenings at 8pm.
AFL Aussie Rules na mBan starts this Saturday at 12:30pm with Melbourne v Collingwood. See below the full line-up of matches for the first three rounds:
TG4's Head of Sport Rónán Ó Coisdealbha said: "The growth of the AFLW has been phenomenal and we are excited to be bringing the best action from Australia to viewers in Ireland each week. With so many players from Ireland competing in the competition it is a great opportunity to showcase this growing sport to a free-to-air audience on TG4."
The thirty-three Irish players confirmed for the 2023 season are as follows:
Niamh Kelly (Adelaide Crows / Mayo)
Dayna Finn (Carlton / Mayo)
Sarah Rowe (Collingwood / Mayo)
Rachel Kearns (Geelong Cats / Mayo)
Aileen Gilroy (Hawthorn / Mayo)
Grace Kelly (St Kilda / Mayo)
Orla O'Dywer (Brisbane Lions / Tipperary)
Aishling Moloney (Geelong Cats / Tipperary)
Anna Rose Kennedy (Geelong Cats / Tipperary)
Niamh Martin (North Melbourne Kangaroos / Tipperary)
Aisling McCarthy (West Coast Eagles / Tipperary)
Amy Mulholland (Fremantle / Armagh)
Bláithín Mackin (Melbourne Demons / Armagh)
Aimee Mackin (Melbourne Demons / Armagh)
Yvonne Bonner (Adelaide Crows / Donegal)
Niamh McLaughlin (Gold Coast Suns / Donegal)
Tanya Kennedy (Sydney Swans / Donegal)
Jennifer Dunne (Brisbane Lions / Dublin)
Sinéad Goldrick (Melbourne Demons / Dublin)
Paris McCarthy (Sydney Swans / Kerry)
Julie O'Sullivan (Sydney Swans / Kerry)
Joanne Cregg (Fremantle / Roscommon)
Jennifer Higgins (Sydney Swans / Roscommon)
Aishling Sheridan (Collingwood / Cavan)
Ailish Considine (North Melbourne Kangaroos / Clare)
Erika O'Shea (North Melbourne Kangaroos / Cork)
Clara Fitzpatrick (Gold Coast Suns / Down)
Joanne Doonan (Essendon / Fermanagh)
Áine McDonagh (Hawthorn / Galway)
Erone Fitzpatrick (Carlton / Laois)
Áine Tighe (Fremantle / Leitrim)
Orlagh Lally (Fremantle / Meath)
Cara McCrossan (Gold Coast Suns / Tyrone)
Dates for AFL Women’s Season
Round 1 - Weekend of 1 / 2 / 3 September
Round 2 - Weekend of 8 / 9 / 10 September
Round 3 - Weekend of 15 / 16 / 17 September
Round 4 - Weekend of 22 / 23 / 24 September
Round 5 - Weekend of 29 / 30 / 31 September
Round 6 - Weekend of 6 / 7 / 8 October
Round 7 - Weekend of 13 / 14 / 15 October
Round 8 - Weekend of 20 / 21 / 22 October
Round 9 - Weekend of 27 / 28 / 29 October
Finals series / Elimination finals - November
Grand Final - Saturday 2 December
More information here: www.afl.com.au
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An incredible crowd of 76,321 were in Croke Park 31 August 2003 to watch Armagh take on Donegal in the All Ireland Football Semi Final that year. With 21 wides on the day it took two goals to make the difference, one from 'Stevie from Killeavy' and a penalty kick in injury time from Oisin McConville.
After 70 minutes the sides were level but a point from Philip Loughran and that penalty conversion saw Armagh heading to their second final spot in 2 years.
Final score was Armagh 2-10 to Donegal 1-9.
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Staff from MJM Marine welcomed members of the Red Hot Chilli Dippers, a group of local young swimmers, to their head office this week.
The swimmers, all under the age of 16, from Newry Swimming & Waterpolo Club and Infinity Swim Academy, Bessbrook, will take on the challenge of conquering the North Channel as the youngest-ever relay team this September, raising funds for Aware, PIPS Hope and Support and Autism NI.
This is a physically and mentally demanding swim for this young team, peppered with unusual swimming conditions, changeable weather, jellyfish and a low temperature. The huge challenge and endeavour will be the culmination of many months cold water training.
MJM are support the young athletes, sponsoring Patagonia jackets to keep them warm and ready during their attempt to set a new world record swimming the 21.5 mile stretch.
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Pairc Esler is the location for a Scotland Ireland international game in October.
The MOWI Shinty/Hurling International Match organised by the Camanachd Association will see Scotland take on Ireland in a composite rules game for the first time since 2019. This exhilarating event last visited Newry in 2014 and promises an unforgettable display of sporting prowess and camaraderie between the two nations.
The MOWI Shinty/Hurling International match has been a long-standing tradition, bringing together top talents from both Scotland and Ireland in a thrilling showcase of shinty and hurling skills. After an unavoidable hiatus, due to COVID-19, the forthcoming match will mark a momentous occasion for players and fans alike, reigniting the spirit of friendly competition and sporting excellence.
The game will take place on Saturday 21st October in Páirc Esler, Newry before the Down Intermediate Hurling Final. Hurling/Shinty at 3pm, Intermediate Final at 5pm
Scotland Manager, Garry Reid, will select a squad to travel to Newry in the coming days and will do so in consultation with a number of Managers across the sport. The Scotland squad will be named 25 September with a training session to take place at the start of October.
Looking forward to the game Steven MacKenzie, Camanachd Association President said "This event showcases the great level of talent in both sports and celebrates the rich cultural ties that unite our nations. We look forward to unveiling the squad and sharing further details about the game in the coming weeks.”Ian Roberts, Mowi Communications Director said “As a proud sponsor of shinty, we are thrilled to witness the return of the Mowi Shinty Hurling International game between Scotland and Ireland. This rivalry embodies the spirit of camaraderie and competition, showcasing the deep-rooted connection between the two nations through these native sports."
Larry McCarthy, GAA President added “On behalf of the Gaelic Athletic Association I welcome the resumption of our collaboration with our friends, and neighbours and sporting cousins in Alba agus An Cumann Camanachd to stage the Ireland-Scotland Hurling-Shinty international.
“This match is an opportunity to celebrate our ties and the cultural links between our proud peoples – chief among which are the games of hurling and shinty which share a common ancestor.”
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Earlier this month 15 Irish athletes travelled to Padua, Italy to participate in the Sport Union for Athletes with Down Syndrome (SUDS) European Championships, including Ireland’s first national Down Syndrome Futsal team. One of the Team Ireland Futsal athletes was County Armagh man Micheál McCloy.
Bringing back medals was always on the agenda for the athletes, and they did not disappoint!
Liam Foley, member of the Down Syndrome Ireland Louth Meath branch and Trim AC, set a new European record in the 800m, T21, Men’s race with a time of 2:55.63. A phenomenal achievement for his first-ever international track event. The seasoned road runner also won another Gold in the 1500m, T21, Men race by beating the Italian Athlete at the line, making him a double European Champion.
Fergus Cosgrove joined the podium as a Bronze medal winner for Triathlon, which consists of 100m, long jump and shot-put.
Elisha Gallagher, from Dublin, ran a fantastic 200m T21 Women in a time of 43.23sec, landing her 5th place.
Having been exposed to an international competition was one of the most valuable experiences we had in sport Lucy Harrington, mom of sprinter Elisha Gallagher explained: “For myself, one very positive outcome is that Elisha's participation in the European Championships has helped friends, family, school, local community, local athletics club to see the real achievements and possibilities for people with Down syndrome.
Lots of people watched Elisha's race online and some of the other sports too and it showed everyone what is possible.”
Ireland’s first-ever Down Syndrome Futsal team had a jam-packed week, playing 5 games in 4 days. Turkey, Italy and Portugal have been playing for at least 4 years in different international tournaments and had to stand their ground against the newcomers.
As always, the Irish supporters did not disappoint, and the lads and coaches were cheered on by the fans in green.
Ireland, unfortunately, did not reach the finals but had a significant 0-0 draw with silver medal winners Portugal in the play-offs
Down Syndrome Ireland’s Louth Meath Artistic swimming team won Gold in their Combo event with a score of 39.700
Artistic team member Fintan Bray from Westmeath had the following to say “What I thought of the European championships was one of the greatest achievements of my life.
I have competed in the European and World stages before, but this was different. I went with my friends to compete in a new sport, artistic swimming. For me, it was not about winning it was representing Ireland and wearing green with my teammates.”
Bray continued “The highlight was getting my first gold medal and hearing the National Anthem being played and the Irish flag being raised for us.
“Our coach Aoife Drumm was fantastic throughout the games, we are so lucky to have her. I know I am not going anywhere I am staying with artistic swimming, and I want to make her proud.”
The Athletes
Athletics:
Artistic Swimming:
Futsal:
Being first-time competitors did not leave the Irish team at a disadvantage reckoned Máire Hourigan mom of Futsal player Cian Kelleher from Cork: “Our athletes demonstrated belief and strong heart and operated in a fun-loving way throughout the week. I am so proud of all of them and loved the cohesive way the teams bonded, dressed in their similar attire. Each group supported the other (Artistic swim/Athletics/Futsal). Memories were created, experiences were made, and our athletes led the way in style in how they handled themselves, one another, and their opponents. Truly phenomenal ambassadors. Onwards and upwards. There are no limits!”.
Team Coordinators, Sanet Jordaan and Tessa van Heerden are delighted by Team Ireland’s participation and are proud of their performances and wish them all well-deserved celebrations on their ground-breaking achievements.
Thank you to the Down Syndrome Ireland Louth Meath branch, the FAI, sponsors, communities, and parents for all the support they have shown the team.
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