Ireland’s rally community is in mourning. We woke up on Friday morning clinging onto the hope that Craig Breen’s passing was only a nightmare. Instead, we are faced with a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching reality that has left us all devastated.
Rallying in Ireland has been on a high over the past 18 months and Craig was at the forefront.
His presence in the World Rally Championship had a rally-loving nation clocking up the air miles as the Irish flag became a regular theme on those famous Finnish apexes or Swedish snowbanks.
For all of Ireland’s rallying heritage at home, for all the sold-out entry lists, and for all the captivating Irish championship battles – Craig’s WRC performances had us all glued to our screens.
Ireland has waited a long time since Billy Coleman’s European escapades to showcase its love for rallying on the world stage.
Craig was our man capable of beating the world’s best. And it always felt like he was bringing us along for the ride. His end-of-stage interviews had us in stitches – inadvertently replicating that infectious grin portrayed behind the balaclava.
Whether he had set a fastest time or “went full Dan Daly” – there was always an Irish reference. It didn’t worry Craig if 95% of the audience were left clueless – as long as it made his friends at home smile.
Memories like that make me smile but soon after leaves me broken. WRC weekends will have a huge Waterford-shaped void going forward.
Thursday’s news sparked flashbacks to Manus Kelly’s passing on the Donegal International Rally almost four years ago. Manus was an equally likable character with a smile engraved in your visual memory.
Craig was there that day, suffering the same sense of loss. Manus was a rallying friend, fellow competitor, and three-time winner of an event he thought so highly of.
Looking back, Craig unknowingly played a massive part in slowly bringing us out of that tragedy. His success and support on Irish Tarmac rounds, a bucket-list victory in Ypres, and a subsequent return to the WRC gave Ireland something positive to remember about 2019.
Craig revelled at the chance to follow in the footsteps of his heroes through his victorious Irish Tarmac Rally Championship campaign. That itinerary had not been in Craig’s initial plans for 2019. He always thought an Irish Tarmac affair would come after his WRC career.
Now we know why 2019 was shaped the way it was. Craig will forever sit alongside his heroes – Austin MacHale, Bertie Fisher, and Frank Meagher – as an Irish Tarmac champion.
Just one week ago Craig shared a video of Andrew Nesbitt’s bonkers 2003 Circuit of Ireland onboard. He lived and breathed it.
Say what you want, cameras from that period making it look faster etc etc.. It’s absolute bananas in any era, the definition of commitment. So glad I was around to see this for real as a kid! https://t.co/itCbRlvL8s
— Craig Breen (@Craig_Breen) April 6, 2023
Craig’s affection for Ireland’s asphalt was never hidden. In fact, it was always on full display. He constantly referenced his favorite rallies, always amazed us with his period rally car knowledge, and was the greatest campaigner for getting the Emerald Isle stages back on the world stage.
And he was a class act throughout his successful Irish Tarmac campaign. At the end of the day he was there to prove his driving ability and show the world he deserved a front-row seat in WRC.
His world-level professionalism also shone through when he ticked off Galway, West Cork, Easter Stages, Killarney and Ulster wins in a controlled and well-managed fashion.
So Craig had every right to proclaim his dominance. But he didn’t. He was a gracious winner, more keen to praise his rivals and ensure the world heard about the close competition he enjoyed in Ireland instead.
The WRC star continued to return home with outings in a Subaru Legacy, BMW M3, Ford Focus WRC and most recently his much-cherished Frank Meagher Ford Sierra Cosworth.
The competitive edge of these events may have waned but it reiterated his fanatic love of rallying.
It also gave him a chance to enjoy the sport with those closest to him. Whether it was winning Killarney Historic for his Kerry co-driver Paul Nagle, letting friends co-drive him on gravel, or simply following his father Ray’s Historic ITRC campaign.
His podium finish in a Ford Escort Mk2 on the 2017 Raven’s Rock Rally with Patrick Croke captured it all. Craig replaced pacenotes with a bit of craic as he and Paddy discussed a future Donegal Modified entry mid-stage. The pair, who were out for a bit of fun, won Ireland’s most competitive class by over 20 seconds.
2023 was set to be the year Craig took a plunge into giving back to rally drivers who were taking their first steps into the sport.
On Tuesday, just before flying to his Croatia Rally test, Craig spent time with the Irish Forest Championship’s Junior 1000 drivers. The tuition day was tied into a €10,000 prize package that Craig had kindly offered to the 14-17-year-old competitors this year.
From top to bottom of the rallying pyramid, Craig had such a positive influence. He was the perfect leader we could have at the peak of that pyramid.
At 33 years of age, Craig was taken in his prime. It makes his passing all the more hard to fathom because he had such an amazing path paved ahead of him. Everything, from the World Rally Championship to the Rally of the Lakes, won’t be the same without Craig.
He was a man that held his heroes in the highest regard and I hope he knew that we thought of him in the exact same way.
We miss you Craig. You will always be our champion.
From Ballaghbeama to Brattby – the fastest rallying hero Ireland could have hoped for.
Adam Hall is an Irish rally journalist for independent publication Rally Insight.
