Location: Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire
Time: 9am-10.30am
What: Official Start Line, 100 Classic Cannonball Cars, Costume Theme MTV meets F1
Next: More great photo opportunities in Waterford for the finish line on Saturday evening at 5pm
Retro Cannonball 2026 rolled off on Friday morning from the Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire with 100 classic cars ready to journey through some of Ireland’s most scenic roads and towns from June 5th–7th as the much-loved motoring event returns with its trademark mix of nostalgia, style and festival atmosphere raising funds for Ronald McDonald House.
This year’s route will see the Retro Cannonball convoy travel from Dún Laoghaire through Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow, Tipperary and Waterford, bringing an unforgettable weekend of classic motoring spectacle to towns and villages across the Sunny South East.
Featuring an extraordinary collection of vintage and iconic cars from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, spectators can expect everything from Lamborghini Diablos and Ferrari 348 GTS models to Jaguar E-Types, Porsche 911s, Ford Escort Cosworths, Corvettes, MGs, Beetles and beautifully restored Mercedes-Benz classics.
Cars started to arrive to the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire from 5pm on Thursday June 4th and the event begins on Friday June 5th at 10.30am before heading south. There will be a lunch stop at Mount Wolseley Hotel in Co Carlow at 1pm until 2.30 and cars will be on display for spectators outside the hotel. Then the convoy will take a fuel stop at Circle K Gorey at 3.30pm before heading to Whites Hotel in Wexford Town at 5.15pm
On Saturday, the convoy will tackle the legendary Vee drive widely regarded as one of Ireland’s most breath-taking mountain routes. Lunch will be at the Talbot Hotel in Clonmel and cars will be on display from 12.30 until 2pm. The event will then finish in Waterford City Centre in spectacular style with music, big screens and free family fun.
At every stop, the public will have the chance to get up close to the cars, meet the drivers, take photographs and soak up the unique atmosphere that has made Cannonball one of Ireland’s most beloved live motoring events.
Retro Cannonball 2026 will also raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland, with Cannonball Ireland having already raised more than €2.27 million for Irish children’s charities to date. Ronald McDonald House provides accommodation and vital support for families whose children are seriously ill and undergoing treatment far from home, allowing parents to remain close to their child during some of the most difficult times imaginable.
While Retro Cannonball offers a more relaxed and nostalgic motoring experience than its supercar counterpart, the event still delivers the same unforgettable atmosphere, premium hospitality and iconic road-trip energy that Cannonball is known for.
Registration is also now open for Cannonball Ireland 2026, the supercar event taking place later this year.