Photo for illustrative purposes only I PICTURE: An Garda Síochána Limerick on Facebook
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20 Sept 2025
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20 Sept 2025
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Members of the Southwest Motorcycle Road Race Club
ATHEA’S road racing future is getting back into top gear as the South West Road Racing club drives forward with plans to revive the historic event.
Following a series of meetings in Athea, a new committee has been formed, comprising: Mike Dalton, president, Gearoid Collins, chairman, Louise Ahern, race secretary, Cathrine Grimes, assistant race secretary, Olivia Quinn, secretary, Eamonn Walshe, treasurer / vice-chair, and Teddy Murphy, assistant treasurer.
The club has announced a motorcycle ride-out from Brown Joe's bar in Athea on March 9 at 11am.
“This event will re-open club membership and begin the fundraising effort. A public meeting to garner community support will be held in the village in the coming weeks, with the date to be announced.
“While a mid-June date was considered, the club opted for more time to organise the large-scale event,” said a spokesperson.
The club has applied to Motorcycling Ireland and the Road Racing Alliance of Ireland (RRAI) to run on the weekend of September 13 and September 14, 2025.
The revival effort has received backing from Rathkeale’s Isle of Man TT racer, James Chawke.
Formed in late 2022, the South West Road Racing Athea club is working to bring the races back.
Regular club meetings will be held in Athea’s village hall and publicised on the club’s social media pages.
The club has secured insurance coverage under the RRAI, paving the way for the Athea Road Races' return.
The event has a long and storied history. The Athea road races were one of the most popular, attracting huge crowds to the beautiful village, nestling on the Limerick/Kerry border.
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Athea Motorcycle Club was founded in 2002 and brought motorcycle racing to County Limerick.
The first Athea road race was to have been held on Sunday, April 28, 2002 on a 3.3-mile circuit but had to be cancelled due to heavy rain which led to flooding during Saturday's practice sessions. The race was rescheduled for Sunday July 28.,
It ran for almost a decade and always attracted a star-studded entry. According to Road Racing News, the course had “a mix of everything and rewarded smooth calculated riding”.
Rohit Kumar, Kalfan Ahmad, Herman Yucero and Albert Barcuas Hernandez, showing their living conditions in Thomondgate | PICTURE: Adrian Butler
The victim has been named as Michael Gerard O'Donnell of Mitchelstown, Cork
Photo for illustrative purposes only I PICTURE: An Garda Síochána Limerick on Facebook
The collision occurred in the Limerick Tunnel on the N18
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