Home16th Jun 2011 - Ireland BikeFest, 2011 – REVIEW
As settings go, Ireland Bikefest has it all. With the Gleneagle Hotel group’s Killarney site, accommodation and entertainment go hand in hand. And nestled among the hills, the riding is superb.
This, as the Gleneagle Hotel’s Breffni Ingerton proudly announced at the close of the event (and arrival of a super-size cake!), was Ireland Bikefest’s fifth event – a landmark and, as everyone in attendance would agree, a benchmark too. With 30,000 visitors throughout the weekend, 7,000 bikes in the area and 1,000 in the parade, the weekend was an exercise in what makes a good rally, from top to tail.
Both the Celtic Thunder,Waterford , and Gaelic,Dublin Chapters were an essential part of proceedings as always, leading ride-outs around the Ring of Kerry and across to the Dingle Peninsula. Their hard-working volunteers contributed to the organisation of the event too, making sure the weekend went off smoothly.
At the centre of the weekend was the Bike Village, the buzzing bar and food stands surrounding the stage, playing live music all day throughout the weekend. Here was where the event was at its most relaxed – friends caught up, rides departed and returned, food and drink was shared and bikers mingled with local families who came through to join the party.
Alongside this, the Harley-Davidson® team were on hand. Demo Rides were hugely popular, with riders lining up to try the newest models in the range. Additionally, and new for this year, Fit Shop showed how accessible even the largest models are with a few adjustments for shape, Jumpstart gave non-riders the experience of riding a Harley® without moving, and Me on a Harley let everyone enjoy having their photo taken on one of the world’s greatest motorcycles! The H.O.G.® tent showed non-members the benefits of joining the world’s greatest biking family, while the trader stands from Ireland’s two dealerships, Waterford and Dublin, sold clothes, accessories and parts to shoppers all weekend.
After the superb ride-outs on the Saturday, Sunday dawned with the parade. 1,000 bikes toured out in convoy from the Bike Village, riding through Killarney to a rapturous reception. The streets were lined with families waving at every turn.
On return to the Village, the Custom Bike Show was lining up on the green outside the beautiful Brehon hotel. There were, in total, more than 60 bikes of all kinds across the categories, and it was a pleasure to admire the engineering, styling and craftsmanship that each represented.
Jeff Murphy, Dealer Principal at Dublin Harley-Davidson, Lenny Burns, Dealer Principal at Waterford Harley-Davidson, and Paul Lusty, Director of We Move Bikes were the show’s judges. In the end, the spectacular Polaris, owned by Tony Stephenson, won Best in Show.
After three days of riding, partying and enjoying the hospitality afforded by the organisers, the event drew to a close. Wrapping up the event, Breffni Ingerton and H-D’s Alison Povey took to the stage to offer their thanks to everyone who had made the event such a success. Over the years, more than €70,000 has been raised for Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, which was added to at this event with the ever-popular raffle to win a Harley-Davidson, plus takings from the parade.
Breffni thanked the dealerships and Chapters involved, who she described as: “The real rock of the festival and the life and soul of the party,” something anyone in attendance would surely agree with. And as Alison concluded: “Thank you everyone for making Bike Fest what it is today. We hope it will continue into the future forever and ever and ever!”
Click here to see the Ireland BikeFest 2011 gallery
Ireland Bikefest 2011 Custom Bike Show Winners
Best British:
1st Martin Conachey, Dresda Triton 1959
2nd Vilem Hartmann, Triumph Speed Triple
Best Bobber:
1st Damien O’Brien, H-D Bobber
2nd Alex Shannon, V-Rod
Best Rat:
1st James O’Sullivan, Rat
2nd Ron Howells, Panther M120
Best Harley:
1st Brian Kirwan (Dublin H-D), Eminate
2nd Brian Kirwan, FLHX Street Glide
Best Engineering:
1st Tony Stephenson, Polaris
2nd Anthony Cuneen, Buell Hand-built Chopper
Best Three-wheeler:
1st Mark Roche, Trikes Yamaha
2nd Jimmy Keane, Love Child trike
Ladies of Harley:
1st Bernie Somers, H-D Custom Fat Boy
2nd Elaine Shannon, V-Rod
Best Radical:
1st: Tony Stephenson, Polaris
2nd Tommy O’Neill, Ultima 1600 Chop
Best Paint:
1st Paul Lynch, Chopper
2nd Jay the Chef, The Mayan
Streetfighter:
1st John Finn, Fireblade
2nd Lukas Koniuszek, Hyabusa
Japanese:
1st Peter Coffey, Honda 550 4
2nd Lukas Koniuszek, Hyabusa
Stock Custom:
1st Zar Stephenson, Rocker
2nd Carl Hasson, Dyna Low Rider
Best Vintage:
1st Paddy Gerin, Indian 101 Scout
2nd Peter Coffey, Honda 550 4
Best in Show:
Tony Stephenson, Polaris
People’s Choice:
2nd Tommy O’Neill, Ultima 1600 Chop