Author: Jo Bell, Dungarvan Leader
Tom Kenneally, owner of RallyConnection Rally Driving School in Modeligo, is celebrating, after securing the National title in the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship last month, after an impressive season, which saw him clinch the title with one race still to go.
Rally Connection
RallyConnection is a Rally Driving School in Modeligo, where many great Irish rally drivers have been trained, in the 23 years since they opened. They offer training for stage rallying licenses, as well as a range of rally driving experiences for fun days out, including corporate packages and hen and stag parties, with a choice of cars and packages available. Gift vouchers can also be purchased from their website, enabling you to gift an unforgettable experience to your loved ones.
Driving experiences
RallyConnection takes groups or individuals for their driving experiences. Individuals will join a group, to create a sense of competition, with trophies available for the fastest drivers.
The day begins with a driver’s briefing, followed by a passenger lap of the track, after which you can practise your skills, ahead of the final, timed lap of the day. You don’t need a driving license to take part in a rallying experience. You just need to know how to drive a car.
“You’re in a controlled environment,” Tom explained. “Everybody has an instructor in with them all the time. We speak to them through the intercom in the helmet, let them know what’s coming up and what to do. There would be a battle on: there could be 3 cars on the track, but they run at intervals. I want all of my drivers on the podium. Shane wants his drivers on the podium Richie, Susan, Steven and Evan also want their people on the podium. It’s a competition between instructors as well.”
Stage Rally Licenses
RallyConnection offers Stage Rally License courses for all ages, including the J1000 championship at the Sligo Pallets Forestry Championship, which caters for drivers aged 14-17. “They compete on loose gravel in the forest, which makes a really good driver of a person, because if you can control a car at high speeds on a gravel surface, just imagine what you can do on a tarmac road when you have grip,” Tom explained. “It’s great training for them when they get older, when they’re on the road. If they get a skid, they’ll know what to do.”
The 2025 J1000 Championship saw 32 young drivers competing, of which over half trained at RallyConnection.
The Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship
Rallying is in the Kenneally family’s blood. Tom spent years rallying, before his retirement from the sport in 2008 and his son Shane began competing in 2014, as part of the Motorsport Ireland Academy team. He took third place in his first National Forestry Junior Championship, second twice, eventually winning the Championship in 2019.
This year, Tom decided to come out of retirement, after he and Shane built his BMW, to compete in Class 14 – Cars between 2L and 3L – of the 2025 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship.
“This was the first time that I had kind of a really decent, reliable car under me, thanks to Joe and Diarmuid,” he explained. “I took it seriously. In my class, there [were] multiple champions competing in that class, so it wasn’t a case of just show up and you’ll win it.
“I was only going to do a few rounds, and then found myself in a position that I was second and then I was leading and I said, I’d better stay at this now. I was leading after Cork. We went to Fermanagh after that and led again, and then the last round was a two-day rally in Omagh – [the] Bushwhacker Rally. Everyone had a chance of winning that day, but unfortunately, two [drivers] crashed out and I won the championship with one round to go! We had ups and downs. We had a couple of big crashes during the year as well, but other lads had more misfortune than I had.”
At the start of the season, Tom raced with co-driver Kevin Power, but when he could not continue, due to work commitments, Shane stepped in and made his co-driving debut with his father.
“It would have been brilliant if he got the co-drivers championship and I got the national championship, but didn’t happen that way,” Tom said. “Shane never co-drove before, but he’s a very experienced driver and he really helped me a lot during the year.”
Tom was delighted to have won the championship. “I didn’t believe it, to be honest with you. Shane was far more emotional than I was. I couldn’t believe it. I still kind of don’t really. It was a brilliant feeling to come back [and] win.”
Tom would like to thank his family for their support, everybody that has come through RallyConnection as a client, all the instructors that have worked at RallyConnection, James O’Shea, his service crew and Kevin Power for all their support throughout the year, and everybody that made his dream of opening and running a rally school happen.
With Tom and Shane now both National Champions, you can be more certain than ever of a fantastic experience and excellent training at RallyConnection.
