Dublin Motorcycle Touring Club present .....
"Get Yer Motor Running"
40 Years On The Road 1971 - 2011The 38th Way West Rally*
28th to 30th October 2011
on the Irish Holiday WeekendThe Way West Rally is a hotel-based event organised with the prime objective of assembling touring motorcyclists at a point fixed in advance. The first Way West Rally was in 1974 in Easkey, Co. Sligo, and every year the Club has held our Autumn rally along the western seaboard from Donegal to West Cork with a blip in 1985 when we went to Newcastle, Co Down.
This year's hotel is located in the heart of the West, off the N17 half way between Galway and Sligo, and only 30 minutes from the rugged Atlantic coastline surrounded by plains, rivers and lakes and with a backdrop of Croagh Patrick, the Nephin Mountains and the Partry Mountains. Venue is The McWilliam Park Hotel, Kilcolman Road, Claremorris, Co Mayo, Ireland.
Hotel GPS coordinates are N 53 43 500 W 008 59 412 and the hotel Web is http://www.mcwilliampark.ie/
The date for the 2011 Way West Rally will be 28th to 30th October on the Irish Holiday Weekend. Mayo is an easy ride from all parts of Ireland and from ferry ports connecting with UK and Europe
Entry will be limited to the first 120 rallyists. Cost will be €135.00 per person sharing to cover two nights B&B, one dinner, badge, routes, ride-out and more (€185- per single room, 2 nights)
Based at a 4**** Hotel we are staying in one of the most breathtaking areas of Ireland for motorcycling with an alluring mix of rugged mountains, twisting lanes, empty hills and walking tracks. Our Guided Ride-out on Saturday morning is to The National Museum of Ireland Country Life in the spectacular grounds of Turlough Park House, set in modern exhibition galleries and surrounded by magnificent gardens and lake. Free admission & an excellent café. Motorcyclists may instead choose to ride the roads as this is one of the last remaining unspoilt corners of Europe. Special B&B Rate on Sunday night of €45- pps. Come, visit & enjoy!
The Way West Rally Programme includes:
Accommodation as per entry
Tea, Soup or Coffee on Friday arrival or Saturday afternoon
10.30am Saturday guided ride-out to The National Museum of Ireland Country Life set in the spectacular grounds of Turlough Park House with an excellent cafι
Freedom to choose your own road on Saturday get into the hills! Maybe GPS ?
Saturday Night Gala Dinner (Fancy Dress optional) with Lounge Music & Quiet Room to relax & talk bikes. Friday night were looking for a talking head with a travel story to tell.
Rally Participants Only Raffle with High Value Prizes
Unique Limited Edition Badge for all participants
Extend the Weekend with Sunday night B&B rates - 45 pps or 65 single occupancy
Children's B&B Rates to welcome Parent Riders or families with children
Hotel facilities for The Way West Rally include:
All rooms are in the hotel (We are limited to 120 seats in the function room this year, so dont delay)
All rooms offer Shower & WC, Tea/Coffee making facilities, hairdryer, Wi-Fi enabled, DVD player, flat screen TV free for guests to wind down
J.G's Restaurant open daily from 6.30pm & Kavanagh's Bar food 12.30 - 9.00pm
Leisure Centre with 18m swimming pool, sauna, steam room, & jacuzzi
Invitation, Supplementary Regulations and Entry forms may be downloaded.
Payment by Credit Card through PayPal.*History of Way West Rally - Courtesy of Jim McGrath
In the early days of the club [70s] when members were looking for places to ride to, and with the west of Ireland having some of the best biking and scenic roads, it was decided to hold a Rally out west. In those times there were lots of places where you could pitch your tent without interfering with anyone, unfortunately, not any more! Easky, on the north coast of Sligo, was picked from the map and chosen as the location for the Rally, hence the name "Way West". One of the reasons for holding it late in the year was to discourage "undesirables" from attending.
Prior to the Way West the Club held two rallies in Avoca, Co Wicklow in 1972 and 1973, called the "Avonbeg Rally". These were all camping events as was the norm in those days. It was at one of those Rallies, where we booked a room in the local hotel, to play music [Black Sabbath] on the Saturday night, that the hotel owner asked a committee member was he " some sort of social worker"!
The original design on the W/W Rally badge had two gauntlets clasped in a hand shake to signify, "FRIENDSHIP among MOTORCYCLISTS", and to this day that is still the purpose of the Rally, a place where you go to meet old friends and make new one!