Irish Centenary rally - just completed

[Nick Turley]

Just on the Ferry back from the Irish Austin Seven Centenary rally.

Thank you Ireland we all had a hoot -  What a great event.

[Mike Costigan]

Anyone like to provide a brief report and a few photos for the next Magazine? I shall need copy within the next couple of weeks.

[Nick Turley]

Hi Mike

I am with Peter Rowlands who also took some quite nice photographs, he will do that and send it to you.

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Hi Mike

I am with Peter Rowlands who also took some quite nice photographs, he will do that and send it to you.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

This was a tremendous event that Willow and I enjoyed hugely.

Thanks must go to Wesley, Geoffrey and all their incredible helpers. We met so many lovely people and received extraordinary hospitality as I am sure both Nick and Peter will attest too.

We covered just over 500 trouble free miles door to door in the Cup which kept up with some fairly fast traffic on the main roads back.

Thank you everyone who made it so much fun.

                           

[Ruairidh Dunford]

                   

[Ivor Hawkins]

I see the red Austin pick up on a trailer, did it break down?

Otherwise it looks like everyone had a great time!

[Ruairidh Dunford]

No, I think it was just being delivered on the trailer, not everything drove to the rally.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I have been asked to point out that the Saturday was organised by the Ulster Pre War Austin Club and the Sunday by the Irish Austin Seven Club.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Here are my memories of our trip:

A weekend of Craic – or how to organise a double centenary in style!

Willow and I usually have a weekend away in the Ulster each year – Covid put a stop to that in 2019 and when the invitation to join in the celebration in Ireland this year came in, I jumped at the chance. Willow is now 13 and I suspected that she would not be so interested in taking the trip in an old car, with her old dad – how wrong I was.

We decided to take the Cup Model as it has never really been used on a long run and this would be the ideal opportunity to test the engine further. Geoffrey and Wendy Livingstone invited us to stay with them at their home in Armagh which we gratefully accepted and booked the ferry. We left Glasgow On the Thursday evening, picked some fish and chips in Ayr and spent the night with David and Joan lodge near Alloway – it was very pleasant evening and very kind of them to help get us nearer to the ferry when the departure times changed at short notice.

Friday morning was cool but dry and the car burbled along the coastal road to Cairnryan, after an hour or so we were checked in and then on the boat for an early lunch and little bit of shut eye. Northern Ireland appeared out of the fog and we found ourselves pushing hard on the A8 out of Larne, on to Moira, Craighaven and Portadown. The roads are fast but we felt respected and safe, the car was now cruising at a comfortable 50mph and able to hold it’s own against the more modern stuff around it.

Just after 4pm we left the main roads and joined windy lanes passing hundreds of apple orchards, very soon we knew we had reached our destination when some 25 Austins appeared – all parked up on the lawn of one house!

We felt immediately welcome in the Livingstone home, Smokey the Parrot welcomed us in a broad Ulster accent and the Jack the dog lay over for a scratch – it was all very wonderful. Nick Turley and Peter Rowlands had arrived that morning on the overnight ferry and were happily sat amid great quantities of tea. Nick was called away to look at an Austin Twenty with no spark whilst Geoffrey and I danced the tyre back onto Wesley and Yvonne Lomont’s Austin Twelve wheel.

Soon it was time for Wendy’s fabled “Irish Stew”, she did not disappoint and there was much discussion about what sauce to have and how much pepper should accompany it – Geoffrey consumed the most of all three things and on returning late after no success with the Twenty magneto Karen Steel, and Nick enjoyed a huge warming bowl too! Three hours later John Steel arrived with the twenty on the back of his truck. John and Sarah Daly joined us for the night in their campervan and the night swung to the tune of cider and rosé
wine!

Next morning I must have been suffering from the drive as my head was sore – Wendy said the same and we puzzled on the matter whilst clearing the many empty bottles from the garden table!

We fitted a new magneto to the Twenty and it started up – hurray! Short lived celebrations but more of that later. The next exercise was to get the many cars in Geoffrey’s drive to the rally site a few miles away, Yvonne ferried 4 of us back and forward until all the cars had made it to the park safely – she repeated the exercise later in the day to get them all back again, what a star!

Willow and I were one of the last to arrive at the display and what a sight it was, over 120 vintage cars, almost all Austin, had gathered from all over Ireland and beyond. We parked up and met many people who I have either only ever spoken to on the phone or seen on social media, which was lovely. The highlight on Saturday was to see and speak with Jim Blakeley again after a 15 year gap. Despite his 90 years he looked no different to me than when I first met him in the late 1970s.

We enjoyed a burger and juice from the food stall and looked around the tremendous collection of cars, a super and very original 1923 Twelve, Simon Thomas’ TT car, a host of sporting cars and immaculate tourers and saloons. Twelves were very well represented too, sharing their centenary year with the Seven. We then headed out of the run and Willow came into her own, ensuring that we took the correct turns at the correct distance. We saw lots of wonderful Orchards and a disused railway station. The scenery is quite different from the West of Scotland and we enjoyed the winding lanes. Soon we were back at the rally site and I helped a man, in a Chummy I recognised as belonging to Ian Dimmer many years ago, to diagnose a fault which turned out to be a head gasket. With another from Wesley we had it fitted soon and he was back on his way.

Yvonne helped ferry us back and forwards to get all the cars back to Geoffrey’s whilst David McCullough and friend untangled a huge roll of rope that had been brand new that morning! John Donnelly and his very patient family attend to John Steels Magneto which (of course) resulted in success, what a star he is. Back at the Livingstone’s Willow and I joined with Ella McLoughlin and Wendy to make the sandwiches for the Sunday road run, it was a lot of fun and very soon we were all able to relax with some liquid refreshments. That night we were joined by Brian Boyce and Kenny Todd who brought and extra bottle of firewater for the now parched Karen, she fair revived herself after that and the night went with a swing.

Sunday dawned and the bleary eyes were most common. I realised that I had got the timings of the ferry wrong and now had enough time to do some of the Irish A7 Club’s run – this included a trip over the border, a first for Willow. After mustering at the Hotel, Sevens were initially seen in almost every direction but the correct one, that was soon remedied by a capped man in his van and everyone proceeded along the intended route, at last. Many lanes, hills and hedges were passed – it was super. We crossed into Ireland seamlessly and were taken with the immediate change of signage and feel – you knew you were somewhere different within metres. On arrival I discussed briefly about taking a route to the north of Loch Neigh with Geoffery Marks but time was tight and we opted for the same route back, this proved to be wise and although we made the ferry it meant running at full chat and absolutely no time for any breakdowns! That other route will be done next time and thank you for suggesting it Geoffrey. The Ferry left and arrived on time, soon on the Ayr road we kept pace with several hundred superbikes returning from racing. The car eventually found itself tucked up in the garage near 9pm and I was delighted that she had not missed a beat in 500 miles despite being pushed hard. I enquired of Willow as we entered our street, did you enjoy that and would you do it again? Her reply “yes, absolutely”.

Thanks you to all who helped and made us welcome, just because I have not named you does not mean I am not grateful, it was superb and the memento bottle of apple juice waits on our table tonight for all to enjoy.

[Mike Costigan]

Thank you Ruairidh; that's a good start. If Peter sends me another write-up I can amalgamate the two if that is appropriate.

Any photos that are suitable, please send to me at editor:a7ca.org.