The Wexford-Waterford combination of Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey coasted to a comfortable win in the Ordnance Survey Ireland International Rally of the Lakes based on Killarney, giving them a clear lead in the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship.

Their NVD Subaru Impreza started the day with a lead of just ten seconds, but their two main rivals Tim McNulty and Gareth McHale both crashed out during the nine stages, leaving the pairing from the southeast with a final winning margin of exactly three minutes.

Overnight, their nearest challengers were Gareth MacHale and Craig Parry, and the Dubliner's Focus halved Boland's lead on the opening stage, Moll's Gap, with the two contenders swapping times all through the next three stages, when the gap was down to 3.8 seconds.

However, MacHale misjudged a corner on Caragh Lake and that was the end of his rally. This promoted former Tarmac champion Derek McGarrity to a distant second place, too far behind to mount a challenge in the remaining four stages, so both drivers backed off.

Killarney driver Donie O'Sullivan, lying third overnight, was the day's first casualty when his Impreza went off the road on the opening stage,

Moll's Gap, and overnight Group N Production class leader Colm Murphy was another retirement, leaving Clonakilty brothers Kevin and Martin Kelleher to win the class.

Monaghan pair Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry were third overall in their Impreza, ahead of Dunlop National champions Aaron MacHale and Killian Duffy.

The hero of the weekend was last year's rally winner Kris Meeke, who drove a two wheel drive, 1.6 litre Renault Clio to fifth overall despite losing time with a puncture on Saturday.

The National Rally was won by the MK2 Escort of Phil Collins. The Welsh engineer took the win with a comfortable margin of 2 min's 48 sec's over fellow Escort driver Fergus O'Meara. An Escort trio was completed by Wesley Patterson.

1  2  Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey      Subaru Impreza          2:14:14.9  
2  4  Derek McGarrity/Dairmuid Falvey     Subaru S12 wrc          2:17:14.9   
3  35 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry           Subaru Impreza          2:17:54.2   
4  7  Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy         Ford Focus WRC          2:19:38.8   
5  13 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle               Renault Clio S1600      2:21:28.4  
6  9  Patrick Elliott/James O'Brien       Subaru S11 WRC          2:21:33.5  
7  11 PJ McGrath/Billy Collins            Subaru Impreza WRC S9   2:23:11.6   
8  15 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher      Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 2:24:52.7