CHRISTMAS will come early in Killarney this year with traders and accommodation providers expecting a major weekend influx on the first weekend of December when the town plays host to a hugely popular sporting event.
A bumper crowd is expected for the annual Killarney Historic Rally which will take place on Saturday, December 5 and it will ensure a bustling atmosphere in the town for the entire weekend.
The organisers, Killarney and District Motor Club, estimate that the event will be worth millions of euro to the local economy as, in addition to the huge attendance, images of Killarney will also be beamed into tens of thousands of homes courtesy of Sky, Setanta Sport, TG4 and Motors TV who will assign crews to cover the action.
Several local competitors will join top international drivers in the battle for supremacy over iconic rally stages like Molly’s Gap, Anabla and Kilcummin and clerk of the course, Kevin Flannery, has selected a route of classic stages based around Killarney town.
The fun will commence on the Friday evening with a ceremonial start on Main Street at 7.30pm but the real action gets underway on Saturday morning.
The Rentokil-Initial sponsored event, which will be headquartered in the Gleneagle Hotel and is supported by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, will count as the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship as well as the final round of the Southern Four Rally Championship.
A stunning top prize is up for grabs with the winner in line for a place in the historic section of the Barbados Rally Carnival as part of an all-expenses-paid trip for two with return flights, free return shipping for a car from Portsmouth dock to Barbados and accommodation for 12 nights.
* Pictures: Eamonn Keogh. Click on individual images to enlarge and for information
