Rally Ireland to return in 2009
World champion Sebastien Loeb won Rally Ireland in November
The FIA World Motorsport Council has voted to award Ireland a round of the World Rally Championship in 2009.
It is planned that Rally Ireland will launch the twelve-round series with the provisional dates being Thursday 29 January to Sunday 1 February.
This year's rally proved to be the biggest sporting event in Ireland this year with up to 200,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers.
The 2009 rally will again be a cross- border event held in the same region.
This year's Rally Ireland ran across eight counties, north and south, opening with a Super special stage in Stormont and concluding with an exciting special stage on Sligo's Atlantic coast at Mullaghmore.
Following the FIA's decision Rally Ireland founders Sean O'Connor and Ronan Morgan said they were "honoured that Ireland has been awarded the most prestigious position of opening the 2009 WRC series".
"This is a direct result of the hard work by thousands of volunteers who worked on our event, our fantastic fans and the outstanding levels of political support we have received since we started the project.
"The residents of each stage must also be commended for their co-operation and support in making Rally Ireland the huge success it was," they added.