Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club Run Raised €1,996.35

Vintage enthusiasts from Tralee, Tom Shanahan (left) pictured with Matt and Martin O’Regan and their Volvo 850 Turbo T5 before the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant, Ballymacelligott on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Organising group member, George Glover, Ballymacelligott and Ann Maria Pembroke, Currow of Downs Syndrome Ireland pictured before the Kingdom Veteran Vintage and Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Tania Ward, Tralee (left) pictured with her dad, Tony (right) and Jennifer Conway, Tralee and Patrick Knightly, Ballymacelligott at the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant, Ballymacelligott on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

And they’re off: Donal McGlynn putting his energies into getting Timmy O’Connor and his Honda 50 on the road before the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Shining Chrome and polished bonnets. Two relics of old decency awaiting their drivers and the open road before the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant, Ballymacelligott on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Anne Lyons, Mallow and Con Shanahan, Castlelyons pictured at the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Charity Run at Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant, Ballymacelligott on Friday evening. ©Photograph: John Reidy

There was an interesting re-union among the shining chrome and polished bonnets and wings just before the off at the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club and Honda Bike annual Charity Run on Friday evening.

Mrs. Bridget Jones from Glountane got a surprise when her daughter Mary brought her face-to-face with the 1971 VW Beetle – which was owned originally by her and her late husband Paddy in Glountane.

Surprise for Mrs. Jones

It is the car in which Bridget learned to drive in the early 1970s. The car, was originally black is now restored to a dazzling white, is owned by Scartaglin native and Castleisland based taxi business owner, Willie O’Connell. The car was bought at Stanley Divane’s all those years ago and earlier this year, Mrs. Jones returned to buy her latest car there.

And, in another twist of that kind of fate, Willie also owns a VW Beetle which belonged to his late namesake and well known fiddle player, Willie O’Connell – and that too was part of Friday evening’s run.

Bigger Turn-Out This Year

There was a bigger turn-out than that of recent years as over 70 cars and 20 bikes gathered before the 7pm roll out on the spacious grounds of Ó Riada’s Bar and Restaurant in Ballymacelligott.

The route took the group over a 30 mile course through: Ballycarthy Cross; Farranfore; Currow; Cordal; Castleisland and back to the finish at Ó Riada’s.

A total of €1,996.35 was raised on the night and all the proceeds went to the Down Syndrome Ireland charity and the presentation was made as soon as the cavalcade of classics returned to Ó Riada’s.

My thanks to Pat Hartnett for the presentation photograph and statistics.

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