The CANNONBALL hit the road this morning setting off with a mighty roar from outside the 3Arena at the Point Village in Dublin.  The largest ever CANNONBALL event will run through to Sunday taking supercars to all corners of Ireland.

Now in its eighth year the Supercar spectacle has raised over €850,000 for Irish Charities and this year, proceeds will go to Pieta House.  Sponsored by Manhattan Popcorn, CANNONBALL goes up a gear for 2016 with 190 supercars and over 150,000 spectators expected to line the streets all over Ireland, making it the largest ever Cannonball event. 

The start line was at the Point Village, where spectators could view the supercars and meet the drivers whilst soaking up the atmosphere.  The gleaming convoy is driving through 900KM of Irish open roads with stops in Dublin, Cavan, Westport, Bunratty, Galway, Tullamore and Wexford.

Proceeds from the event this year will go to Pieta House, a suicide and self-harm crisis centre with nine centres throughout Ireland and one in New York providing a free professional one-to-one therapeutic service.

A quarter of the supercars are coming in from the UK, Europe and even Dubai with the highest ever number of top mark cars worth an estimated €30 million including McLaren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Masseratti, Rolls Royce and Bentley. CANNONBALL is the brainchild of Kildare Businessman and AB Signs proprietor, Alan Bannon and the benefit to the Irish economy of this event is estimated at €2,567,000 per year, most of which is spread evenly throughout the counties and towns visited. Nominated as Best Live Event at the National Event Industry Awards, the route showcases beautiful villages, towns and famous Irish landmarks to both Irish and foreign Cannonballers and fans.

The weekend schedule is:

Day 1: (Fri Sept 9th) Dublin to Westport via Slieve Russel Hotel
Start line : Dublin Point Village @ 10.30am
Lunch Stop : Slieve Russel Hotel at 1pm
Finish Line : Westport Town Centre @ 6pm

Day 2: (Sat Sept 10th)  Westport to Galway via Bunratty Castle
Start Line: Depart Westport @ 10:30am
Lunch Stop: Bunratty Castle Hotel for 1.30pm
Finish Line: Arrive in Galway @ 6pm

Day 3: (Sun Sept 11th) Galway to Wexford via Tullamore
Start Line - Supermacs, The Galway Plaza @ 11.30am to 12.30am
Lunch Stop : Tullamore @ 1.30pm to 3.30pm
Finish line : Wexford Quay Front @ 6pm to 8pm