THE RALLYING community will be out in force next month to pay tribute to Dáire Maguire who died while competing in the Sligo Stages Rally in Ballymote last July.
Mr Maguire, then 46, from Lisnaskea, was the co-driver in a Ford Escort driven by Gene McDonald (35) from Cootehill, Cavan, when the car left the road and collided with a wall, tragically killing both of them.
The much-loved and proud father and husband was passionate about cars and had been heavily involved in the sport for more than 20 years. To celebrate the two men’s lives, the Connacht Motor Club and Plum Tyndall of ‘RPM’ fame are staging a three-day event over the weekend of April 27, 28 and 29 in Sligo.
It will include a 200-mile non-competitive run through Sligo and Donegal, plus a gala night at Sligo Park Hotel to commemorate the lives of the two popular rallying enthusiasts.
Mr Maguire’s wife, Breda, was very touched by the gesture.
“It’s going to be a lovely tribute to Dáire,” Breda said. “Dáire was a fan of RPM and the show’s presenter Plum Tyndall. He watched it religiously on TV every Thursday night back in the day.
“I feel honoured to be part of it and that this is being done in his memory.”
Breda will also have a privileged place in the 200-mile drive through Sligo and Donegal.
“Dáire’s previous regular rally driver Damian O’Reilly has entered this and I am going to be sitting with him in the blue rally car that Dáire proudly got sponsorship for from his employer Cadco NI,” she explained. “We are going to be the number one car in the run. It’ll be bittersweet and I’ll definitely have mixed feelings – we went away often to rally events as a family.
“I’m doing this for Dáire and I feel he would be proud because he had such a passion for rallying.
“The rally community is very tight and they will be out to show their love for Dáire and Gene. It will be a celebration of their lives and I feel Dáire deserves it.”
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