A convoy of multicoloured Hillman Imps rumbled past the gravestones at Mount Jerome cemetery in Dublin, marking the arrival of the late trailblazing rally driver Rosemary Smith whose career had been forged in the seat of the tiny sports car.
At Monday’s emotional, celebratory funeral service, Smith’s final car journey culminated in her wicker coffin, topped with a black and white racing helmet, being carried into the chapel to rousing applause.
Outside, at her request, the crowd infused the occasion with dazzling displays of pink – scarves, ties, jackets and flowers electrifying the December evening, honouring a woman loved almost as much for her style as her speed.
There were motorsports jackets and baseball hats and talk of racing adventures and mishaps hung in the air. President Michael D Higgins, who had noted following the 86-year-old’s death last week how she defied expectations in becoming a force in a sport so heavily dominated by men, was represented by Aide-de-Camp Commdt Deirdre Newell.
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The service, led by Christ Church Cathedral’s Rev Dermot Dunne, was a fitting combination of prayer and tributes, focusing both on Ms Smith’s achievements behind the wheel, her celebrity and her personal life.
“She was pragmatic and practical in her approach to life. She approached her final illness with stoicism and the same zest and zeal for life as she did everything else,” her cousin Barry Kavanagh told the congregation.
Inside there was standing room only. A funeral booklet adorned with images from throughout her life and career carried Ms Smith’s “final say”, in which she wished to be remembered “for trying to be a nice person and one who tried to help people whenever I could”.
The former model, TV personality and designer, who is survived by numerous family members and friends, led a celebrated career in motorsport through the 1950s and 1960s.
She claimed victory in the Dutch Tulip Rally of 1965, the equivalent of a World Rally Championship round today, and competed in eight Monte Carlo rallies. She completed the London to Sydney rally in 1968 and the London to Mexico rally in 1970. In 2022 was inducted into the Federation International des Vehicules Anciens Hall of Fame.
But her funeral service leant heavily on her character and relationships.
“I never knew Rosemary as ‘the famous one’ – and God she hated that word – or ‘the rally driver’,” said her close friend and neighbour Deborah Harpur. “I never felt like I was looking after an elderly woman because Rosemary was never elderly ... I am so proud to have called her my friend. She will leave a huge void in all of our lives and I will miss her every time I pull into my driveway.”
She was remembered fondly as a singer, a tennis and “mean” poker player, a role model and a poor car passenger, and for spotting the need to educate young Irish school students in driving skills.
“If Ireland had an honours list, she would be on it,” said her friend Keane Harley.
As the curtains pulled across her coffin, Ms Smith was sent off to a standing ovation, loud cheers and the final unmistakable sound of a beeping car horn.
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