Deja Vu event presents donation to palliative care in County Waterford

A donation of €31,739.71, part of the proceeds of a high profile fund-raising event, has been welcomed by its recipient, Dungarvan Community Hospital.

Over the weekend of October 10 to 12, this year, Waterford was the venue for the 2025 'Déjà Vu' car rally festival. 

Featuring 145 classic and historic rally cars, the event was the 12th consecutive Irish rallying sport reunion organised by RPM Déjà Motorsport Ltd. 

As a group of volunteers, they have now raised over €400,000 for local charities and causes in various parts of Ireland through fundraising carried out in association with the annual festival.

Speaking at the presentation of the donation from RPM Déjà Motorsport at the Park Hotel recently, Paula French (Director of Nursing, Dungarvan Community Hospital, HSE Dublin and South East) said: “From the moment ourselves on site and the Friends of Dungarvan Community Hospital group were approached about the ‘Déjà Vu’ event coming to Co. Waterford this autumn, we have been delighted to help in ensuring its success."

"We were very honoured to feature as a beneficiary of the charity auction at the gala dinner held on Saturday evening, October 11, in the Park Hotel," said Paula.

 “The ‘Déjà Vu’ event brought great colour to the county that weekend and we are delighted, that additional comforts for those in the level 2 palliative care beds we provide in the Vincent’s Unit at the hospital were identified to benefit from the funds raised this year," she added.

While ‘Deja Vu’ 2025 featured an 'arch' - through which cars pass upon starting or finishing a race - in Dungarvan, a race commentator and a rally road-book covering a 150 mile route (inclusive of the Copper Coast, Tramore, Dunmore East, Mount Congreve and the Mahon Falls), there were no stopwatches in use for what was a non-competitive run. 

It allowed beautifully prepared classic cars and their crews to navigate the historic Waterford Circuit of Ireland stages from the 1980s in a moving celebration of Irish motorsport history.

Among the entries for 2025’s 'Déjà Vu', in Co. Waterford were many drivers from the South East. 

They included Marie Moloney, of Dungarvan and her co-driver Catherine Tracey. 

Marie drove the Opel Marque car that made them famous during her career in the 1980s. 

In addition to additional comforts for palliative care at Dungarvan Community Hospital, ‘Déjà Vu’ 2005 also benefited the Craig Breen Foundation. 

In memory of Waterford’s world rallying star who tragically lost his life in a testing accident prior to the Croatian Rally in 2023, the Craig Breen Foundation helps young Irish rally drivers.