All in a week: Crolly teen navigates exams, 18th birthday and Donegal Rally

A Crolly teenager took a class win at his first Donegal International Rally in the middle of the Leaving Certificate exams and just days after his 18th birthday.

Last Tuesday Eamonn Bonner Gallagher left the exam hall at Rosses Community School at lunchtime after handing in his Irish paper 2.

With a week to go until his next exam and on the day of his 18th, he might've been forgiven for having even a light birthday celebration to toast the big milestone.

However, his maiden Donegal International Rally - which was his first 'proper' event - loomed. Bonner Gallagher navigated for Ramelton man Jason Mooney in the Ford Fiesta ST. The pair came over the finish ramp on Sunday as the class 22 winners.

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“It was just a total buzz, a total high,” he says. “Even coming off the last stage; when we hit that, the two of us just let a big roar out of us. There was no feeling like it.

“The finish was all that we wanted. Anything else was always going to be a bonus.

“This was never something that I expected. Even to get the seat for me was a dream.”

Motorsport has always been in the blood.

His mother, Grace Ann, previously sat with his uncle, PJ Bonner from Ramelton. Since he was a young child, Eamonn – also a talented singer who has had the mic in the famous Leo's Tavern - has always had the bug.

A run at a Rallysport Association (RSA) event in Ballykelly 'hooked' him in around three and a half years ago.

“I was always out for wee spins, but when I did that track event, I knew that I wanted to be a navigator,” he said. “Doing Donegal at the weekend was night and day from that. We did a lot of preparation and a lot of people got me through it.”
When he put a post on Facebook to see if anyone needed a navigator, he was chancing his arm. Yet, Mooney reached out and they clicked.

“I had never met Jason before,” he says. “I only met him after he offered to take me on board. He was a complete stranger to me. He knew PJ well though, but I was still surprised that he was so willing to take me on.

“Jason was a complete legend all weekend, he was so good in the car and he was motivating me the whole time.”

Their partnership blossomed and the Sligo Stages Rally is a possibility next month.

First, the Leaving Cert was concluded with the Spanish and physics exams this week. Monday, mercifully, was free.

“Everything up to that last exam before the rally was all about the Leaving, although we did have a recce on the Saturday,” he says. “It was straight back onto the Leaving again. I was nervous, but I was just going off pure adrenaline all week really.”

Domhnall McAlaney, who called the notes for Damien Tourish, the second-placed driver in the national rally, was a big help to Bonner Gallagher having given him some tips pre-rally on the notes system he used, which happened to be the same.

Bonner Gallagher has designs on becoming a paramedic once the exams are concluded, but a sideline as a navigator now beckons too.

“It took me the first stage to get into it,” he says. “I think my calling was a wee bit off, but Jason really helped settle me in the car. The nerves were gone by Saturday and I got into a flow.”

The highlight, undoubtedly, was the finish line, but like many others who have traversed its world renowned asphalt, Bonner Gallagher had a standout.

“The whole of Knockalla,” he says. “Just that buzz at the start line the first time was unreal.”