Dougie Hughes – An Appreciation
Irish Motorsport mourns the passing of Dougie Hughes, one of its longest serving ambassadors.
Aged 84, Dougie from Palmerstown, Dublin, was well known all over Ireland and beyond having competed in various motorsport categories and provided commentary on rallies at the start line
and at the finish ramp for many decades. He achieved a record breaking 65-year presence with the microphone on hand at rally podiums throughout the country.
His Fiat Doblò Cargo van was highly visible as it was covered with motorsport related stickers – with probably the signature of multi-MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi his proudest autograph.
Away from the motorsport scene, Dougie was an avid Arsenal FC supporter and pin-badge collector. On his coffin was an Arsenal scarf, embellished with a selection from his hundreds of badges, collected and given to him from his many friends.
An absolute gentleman, his enthusiasm and love for the sport was appreciated, such was the huge number of people paying their respects at his funeral service in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, Crumlin, Dublin. Through social media channels, all attendees were encouraged to wear rally jackets, which they duly obliged. Another poignant scene was the beautifully turned out rally cars as part of the funeral cortège with Citroën’s World Rally Championship driver, Craig Breen driving a MK2 Ford Escort, indicating the high esteem Dougie was held in within the motorsport community.
In recent years, he curtailed his activities to care for his wife Lily along with his daughters Lorraine, Wendy, Hazel, Glenda and son Trevor, to whom we offer our deepest sympathy and condolences.We will never see the likes of him again: May he Rest in Peace. JS
*As published in Fleet Transport Magazine, March 2018
