By Sean Moriarty

Tributes have been paid in Killarney to World Rally Championship star Craig Breen who died tragically in a testing accident in Croatia last Thursday.

Breen and Nagle celebrate one of their six podium finishes together. Photo: Hyundai Motorsport Media

Craig Breen and Paul Nagle at the finish line of 2022 Rally Spain the Killarney man's last event in the World Rally Championship. Photo: Sportsfile

Irish fans travelled in their droves to follow Craig Breen and Paul Nagle's exploits all over the world. Photo: Sean Moriarty

Breen at the Fafe Rally in Portugal earlier this year. Photo: Hyundai Motorsport Media

The Waterford man was a hugely popular figure in Kerry and that is reflected in the glowing tributes that have been paid to the 33-year-old.

Breen had several connections to the county and as a result, he was a frequent visitor to the area.

His father Ray has strong family connections to the Strand Road area of Tralee.

His best results as a WRC driver came with Killarney man Paul Nagle by his side.

The pair did over 50 rallies together all over the world, and highlights include winning the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in 2019 and finishing third overall in the world-famous Monte Carlo Rally last season.

Breen had nine World Rally Championship podiums to his name and the Aghadoe man was beside him for six of those.

They won rallies all over Europe including the 2019 Ypres Rally in Belgium which is considered the biggest rally in that country, and several Italian rally championship events, one of the highlights was their victory in the fabled Rallye Sanremo.

Breen’s last official engagement in Ireland was last Tuesday when he attended a promotional day for young junior drivers in County Galway, two days before the ill-fated test in Croatia.

“The world has lost a hero. Ireland has lost a champion and I have lost a best friend. Craig was more than a rally driver to [my wife] Cathy and I, he was family,” said Paul.
“The motorsport world is in mourning because Craig touched so many lives and homes. From grassroots rallying on Tuesday to World Rally Championship testing on Thursday just shows the character you were. He was a clubman at heart. Our journey was amazing, filled with fun, laughter, tears, and the craic. Thank you for the memories, they will last a lifetime. I am going to miss you.”

Breen and Nagle won the 2019 Rally of the Lakes.

Dermot Healy was the Clerk of the Course on that occasion.

“He was a huge supporter of our events, he loved the craic and the stages down here,” said Dermot. “A big factor was his navigator Paul Nagle and he helped Paul realise his dream of winning the Rally of the Lakes and the Killarney Historic Rally. He was always an absolute gentleman to deal with, I cannot speak highly enough about the guy.”

Nagle was not his only Kerry co-driver. His Aghadoe neighbour Mikie Galvin contested the Wexford Rally with Craig in 2021.

“I was absolutely devastated about the news,” said Galvin.
“I was always thankful for that [Wexford] opportunity. From there we became quite friendly and kept in contact quite a bit and I was always looking forward to doing something again with him, but sadly that won't happen now.”

Breen possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport and the characters involved in it.
It was something that Galvin witnessed first-hand in Wexford.

“One of the most striking things about Craig was, I couldn't believe that day in Wexford how he knew everything about everybody and their rally and what they were doing. He was genuinely interested in everybody. I just couldn't get over how he knew everything about everyone. He was really connected with everybody. He must have been talking to hundreds of people every single day because he knew about people “

Craig’s most recent visit to Kerry was in February for the Killarney Forestry Rally where he launched and funded a Junior Rally Championship support project for young Irish drivers.

He was also in Kerry for the Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship prizegiving night over the Christmas period last year.

Breen was laid to rest in his native Slieverue, County Waterford on Tuesday.

He is survived by his father Ray, mother Jackie and sister Kellie, extended family, and a large circle of friends inside and outside the motorsport world.