The future of the Donegal International Rally, which is one of the country’s oldest annual rallies, had been in doubt until Topaz took over the sponsorship of the event this year. The event brings a tourism injection of €30 million to the area, and Topaz is delighted to keep it alive and kicking. We’ll invest almost a quarter of a million euro in sponsoring and supporting the event over the next 3 years.
At the opening of this year’s rally on June 13th, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, said, “I am delighted to officially open the 2008 Topaz Donegal International Rally. The Rally, which is one of Ireland’s premier sporting events, brings tens of thousands of people to Donegal every year. The economic importance of the Rally to the county and indeed further afield, cannot be understated. It secures vitally important tourism revenue which has obvious and very significant benefits for the area. I whole-heartedly compliment the volunteers of the Donegal Motor Club who work tirelessly each year to ensure the event runs smoothly. It is testament to the success and durability of the product that another new sponsor has come on board this year in the form of Topaz, a full 36 years on from the first Donegal International Rally.”
Danny Murray, CEO of Topaz said, “The Rally is of huge importance to the Donegal region and can be enjoyed by the entire family. We know that the Rally will go from strength to strength and we are proud to be partnering with the Donegal Motor Club for the next 3 years. We have completed the re-branding of all our retail dealer service stations in Donegal to coincide with the start of the Topaz Donegal International Rally Ireland, so that visitors will be in no doubt of our commitment to Donegal and the Rally.”
