Sunny Sligo hosts popular Deja Vú Northwest with epic cars on show

Counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal co-hosted the special event by RPM and Connacht Motor Club.

The proceeds from the events taking place during the weekend were going to Rallying Friends, a fund a fund to support the families of Gene McDonald and Daire Maguire.

It all began on Friday afternoon as over one hundred of the entrants availed of the secure parking at Sligo Retail Park and gave the many viewers their first opportunity to see these pristine vehicles up close.

The participants made their way to Sligo Park Hotel for a meet and greet reception hosted by Sligo Bid attended by organisers, representatives from Sligo Bid , Sligo County Council and An Garda Síochána.

On Saturday morning, a large crowd of spectators witnessed a great spectacle of 150 exceptional cars cross the start ramp, and with the perfect clear view of Knocknarae as a backdrop, the crews began their leisurely run.

The first stage to greet the crews was the spectacular Lough Gill, passing what is now known as ‘Grunholms Corner’, and capturing the clear calm view of the lake across to Innisfree.

The second selected route was one used numerous times as a rally stage close to Rossinver , which also has exceptional scenic views , and towards the end, an elevated view of Lough Melvin, Donegal and Fermanagh.

The crews took in two further selected stages in South Donegal prior to the midday refreshment break at the Donagh Kelly Stables Rally Museum in Frosses where the participants where enthralled with the display of memorabilia and collector cars.

The convoy then made its way back to the Quay in Donegal town where the large, accumulated crowd were greeted with the passing parade of spectacular cars and their drivers were interviewed by Kevin Glendinning.

They briskly moved on to head for two of the most picturesque historic stages of the route, the Horseshoe and Mullaghmore .

The jewel in the crown was the Ceremonial Finish in the heart of Sligo city, as the array of cars entered O’Connell St from the bottom up to be interviewed by two legends of motorsport broadcasting , Plum Tyndell the voice of RPM and Becs Williams the current voice of WRC commentary .

On Sunday morning, another add on to the normal format of Déjà vu , was the Planes, Cars and Coffee Fly in Sligo Airport which was a major success attracting large crowds of spectators who were greeted by a stationary display of approximately seventy of the weekend participants .

As the whole proceeds of from the weekends events were going to Rallying Friends, a fund to support the families of Gene Mc Donnald and Daire Maguire who lost their lives on Sligo Stages Rally 2023 , both RPM and Connacht Motor Club would sincerely like to thank all the businesses, individuals, local bodies and members of the public who contributed in any or bought a programme.