General

General information about Limerick Motor Club

Since 2010 the webmaster has added photos and videos to individual articles. Some Albums have been added for specific events, these are generally referenced from relevant articles.

Test  New assorted Galleries from 2008 on Test

Assorted Albums from 2008 on

Circuit of Munster pics by permission of Trevor McGrath, Mike Mulcahy, Keith Wiseman, James Burke

A selection of YouTube videos of the 2010 Circuit of Munster

2009 Circuit of Munster
Circuit of Munster Gallery
Excellent 3 minute video by Ben O'Sullivan
Photos by Derry on flickr
James Burke Photography
RallyPrint (Trevor McGrath)
www.hasrallypics.com
CRS Pics
YouTube On Board Video, George Jagoe & Alan Mulligan Suzuki Swift Stage 7 over 9 minutes
YouTube Video
YouTube Video
YouTube Video
YouTube Video
YouTube Video

On Board with John O'Connor and Carrie Moroney at the 2009 Carlow Stages

2008 Hillclimb

3 August 2008 Hillclimb Photos by Ger Cusack
On Board with Gerard O'Connor at Boola hill, 3 August 2008

Paul O'Connell on YouTube at Carlow Spring

20 July 2008 Autotest Photos by Ciaran O'Keeffe

2008 Circuit of Munster

2008 Circuit of Munster, Some Victory Photos by Ray Gavin
2008 Circuit of Munster Photographs by Andrew Ring Photography
2008 Circuit of Munster Photographs by Action Photos
2008 Circuit of Munster Photographs by Seamus Counihan Motorsport Photgraphy
2008 Circuit of Munster on YouTube
On Board with Ed O'Callaghan and Ger Clancy
YouTube from Totally Sideways
YouTube from 1986 Starlet
YouTube from 1986 Starlet
YouTube from Ryan Rally Videos
YouTube from gmediaonline
YouTube from gmediaonline
YouTube from the20kwr
YouTube from firstfret

Mark Sheahan's Page
YouTube video of Denis Hogan Jnr on Ballyallaban Hillclimb in his E36 M3
2008 Forest Rally Winner Ray Breen Video on YouTube
2008 Forest Rally at Action Photos (Joe Lane)

Ger Cusack's Autotest Gallery
Ger Cusack's Rally Gallery

2008 Mini Stages

2008 Mini Stages at Andrew Ring Photography
2008 Mini Stages at Sport Limerick Photography
2008 Mini Stages at PeeSpeed Photography
2008 Mini Stages at SCM Photo
2008 Mini Stages Video by Flying Finn on YouTube
2008 Mini Stages Video by Ryan Rally Videos on YouTube
2008 Mini Stages InCar Video of Paul Purtill on YouTube

The Meskells and others update April 2008
Mike Mulcahys Album
Photos courtesy of RallyShot Motorsport Photography
The Meskell Brothers
Pictures courtesy of Autopix ltd
LMC Autotest July 06

Aidan Walsh 
Chairperson Aidan Walsh

Elaine Higgins Shinnors

Secretary  Elaine Higgins-Shinnors
Phone TBC  e-mail: s

 Gerry Lynch
Vice Chairperson Ger Lynch co opted to board October 2016

Vice Secretary from 1 March 2023, Keith Moriarty Elected 2 March 2022

Other directors

 Ed O'Callaghan
Ed O'Callaghan director since about 1991

Maurice Meskell
Maurice Meskell elected 2 March 2016

 

James O'Rourke Elected 2 March 2022

 

Kieran Ambrose

Kieran Ambrose Elected 1 March 2023 He had previously been a director until 4 February 2015

Willie Barrett Elected 1 March 2023

Club President page

For previous Directors and committee members go to Directors Archive

Limerick Motor Club - A Brief History

Our Club, one of the oldest in the country, takes pride in celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this year. In 1948 Richard Kemp brought a group of motor enthusiasts together at the old Royal George Hotel to found the Limerick Light Car and Motorcycle Club.
 
The club’s first event was a hillclimb on Gallows Hill just outside Limerick, on May 12th 1948, where the entry was composed mostly of motorcycles, perhaps reflecting the post-war cost and scarcity of cars. A competitor at that first event was a founding member Stan Russell, who has served the club in so many capacities over the last sixty years. The club had a busy programme for the remainder of 1948 running a number of sealed speedometer tests, a motorcycle grasstrack event at Thomond Park, a treasure hunt, a night navigation trial and Lahinch Strand Races. By the start of the Fifties a regular club calendar was well established which featured an event every month including the Circuit of Munster, Circuit of Clare, Winter Trial and Hillclimb. These were open and in many cases championship events
 
The Circuit of Munster has always been our premier club event having run every year, except three, since the first one in 1949. The first ‘Munster’ was a two day event run over the Whit weekend with an estimated entry of 55-60 made up of cars and motorcycles. The start was at the Dock Road in Limerick and the first day’s route took competitors through South Tipperary, over the Vee to Dungarvan, on to Youghal and West Cork to the overnight stop and knees-up at Glengarriff.. The pace on the first day, we are told, was a fairly leisurely one with a stop en-route for lunch. However entrants had to contend with a ‘regularity’ (hillclimb) on the Vee, many crossroads tests, navigation, time checks, passage checks and controls all of which, even today would test the endurance of driver and machine.
 
Day two brought competitors over the Tim Healy Pass, on to Caragh Lake, down Moll’s Gap to Killarney and back to Limerick with more regularity sections and navigation tests on the way. Final spectator tests took place before a large crowd at the open area on the Dock Road now occupied by the Steamboat Quay development. This was the start and finish location for most club events over the next two decades. The first Circuit of Munster was won by Irwin Catherwood and Clerk of the Course was Mick O’Connell. Well known names that have won the event over the years include Billy Coleman, Paddy Hopkirk, Ger Buckley, Donie Keating, John Price, Gerry McNamara and Charlie Gunn to name but a few.
 
As rallying has changed over the decades the Circuit of Munster, which remains a major fixture on the Irish rally calendar, has also changed with the times. It is now a one day special stage event with headquarters at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare and attracts up to one hundred and fifty top crews and has a strong reserve list..
 
First published in the 1998 Circuit of Munster programme for the 50th anniversary of the club updated for 2008 website launch

e-mail historyatlimerickmcdotie if you have anything to add to the history section