Stories of the Ireland Rally – Monday Meanderings – 18th May 2026

Our Irish adventures started on 18th May, when lots of lovely Figaros assembled at the Clanard Court Hotel for what was set to be a fun-filled few days of frolics.

Eighty-six participants on the Figaro Owners Club Ireland Rally and 35th Birthday Party together with their lovely Figaros attended at Clanard Court Hotel, Athy, County Kildare, between 18th and 22nd May 2026. Organised by Dolly Webb, the Ireland co-ordinator, with the support of her husband, Dave, and from the club committee also, this was always going to be a memorable event.

The official start for the rally was 4pm on Monday 18th May, but that didn’t stop some of our intrepid members from arriving well in advance to make sure they didn’t miss a moment of the fun! The WhatsApp chat opened a week before the rally started, so we had all started to get to know each other and share our preparations and this increased the excitement and anticipation we were feeling before we even left home. This was very helpful for first-time rally goers and provided some great ice-breaker material when chatting on arrival.

As many members needed to cross to Ireland by ferry this meant that people were arriving in steady groups as the ferries docked in Dublin, Rosslare, and other ports around Ireland. A few ferry delays and cancellations meant that arrival plans were adjusted, but Clanard Court did us proud and looked after our late arrivals fantastically.

On registration with the team at the hotel (with the club’s “Celebrating Special Events” video playing on the screens), members were provided with their rally packs which contained their flag, rally book, sticker, rally plate, leaflets about the places we were visiting and the club, some chocolates courtesy of Lily O’Brien – a local Kildare company, pens, quiz sheets, and a piece of peat from Dolly and Dave’s very own bog of Allen! Somebody took it as their mission to see how many people they could convince that it was edible (naming no chairpersons….!) and there were enough people who fell for it to make it funny each time!

We enjoyed a truly delightful three course dinner in the Shackleton Suite, where there was encouragement to mix with new friends as well as renew existing links. During dinner, the Show and Shine competition was judged by Joyce Chambers, a committee member from the Gordon Bennett Classic Car Rally. She had a lot of fun looking at all the cars and said that the winning car was the one she wanted to take home! The winner was kept secret, to be announced at the Gala Ball on Thursday.

We all made sure we knew where the bar was (for future reference) but it had been a long day for many, so a good night’s sleep was definitely in order! The rooms at the hotel were charming and the beds comfortable, so this was not too much of a challenge at all, ahead of a full day to come…

Look out for the next Story of the Ireland Rally, coming soon!

Enjoy the Celebration Video of the Ireland Rally and the gallery of photos below.