Firestone hosts RIAC Pioneer Run
Bridgestone Ireland, with its Firestone brand, hosted a stop off venue for the recent “2026 RIAC Pioneer Run”. The legendary vintage car run, which is celebrating 120 years, called to Bridgestone’s Balbriggan premises on June 13th on their way to Dundalk.
“We are celebrating 125 years of Firestone at present so it was fantastic to welcome these beautiful vintage cars to our premises,” said Colm Conyngham, marketing and public relations manager, Bridgestone Ireland. “Firestone’s heritage starts around the same time that many of the car makes featured in the rally were setting up their business.”
This year’s Pioneer Run marked 120 years since the Irish Automobile Club ran its first Reliability Trial, in a bid to convince the Irish public that the motor car was the future.
Remarkably, the run started at the RIAC HQ, 34 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, itself celebrating 125 years in operation and 120 years of operation from the exact same building. This year’s event featured cars from the era covering the primary route to Dundalk as in 1906.
Ireland’s first motorist, Dr. John Colohan of Blackrock Co. Dublin imported a 4hp Benz in 1896. A cluster to enthusiasts, motivated by Irish Cyclist editor RJ Mecredy, formed the Irish Automobile Club (it acquired the Royal prefix in1917) in 1901.
The 1906 Reliability Trail attracted 28 entries mainly from wealthy landed gentry, but including fledgling local manufacturers such as Chambers. The objective was to prove the range and reliability of the motor car, in the hope of expanding its adoption in Ireland.
Amazingly, two of the car makes that took part in 1906 event are still going strong – Peugeot and Chrysler.
The story of how motoring actually evolved in Ireland is covered in gripping detail in Leanne Blaney’s 2019 book “The Motorcar in Ireland” and also in a number of publications by renowned Irish motoring historian Bob Montgomery, and various RIAC Archive publications.
It marks an acknowledgement of the arrival of the machine that transformed Ireland, especially in the post World War 1 period, when cheap and affordable cars arrived here.