Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy triumph at Killarney Historic Rally

Donegal had a strong showing at the Killarney Historic Rally, with Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy claiming the overall victory.

Driving their BMW M3, the duo completed the eight-stage event with an impressive total time of 1:02:06.4.

The Kelly family initially dominated the early stages, with Eamonn Kelly leading his father Donagh by four seconds after two stages, both in BMW M3s. However, Eamonn’s rally took an unfortunate turn on the next stage when he went off the road, hit some trees, and lost a wheel, ending his campaign.

Donagh, on the other hand, delivered a flawless performance, expertly handling his M3 through persistent, sometimes torrential rain.

Adding to Donegal’s success, John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson secured third place in yet another BMW M3, finishing 44.2 seconds behind Kelly.

Last year’s champions, Jonny Greer and Niall Burns, faced mechanical issues with their Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4, as a loose turbo pipe dashed their hopes of back-to-back victories.

In the modified category, Donegal's Declan Gallagher and co-driver John McCarthy claimed second place in their Toyota Starlet RWD, clocking a time of 57:30.9. They trailed winners Robert Duggan and Ger Conway, who piloted a Ford Escort, by just 18.6 seconds.