Craig Breen: Anecdotes of humility and selflessness

In April, Irish motorsport lost of one of its accomplished figures with the tragic death of Craig Breen at the age of 33.

The Waterford native had showed his talents behind the wheel from an early age, winning the World Rally Championship Academy title in 2011 and eventually getting the opportunity to reach the WRC itself.

In doing so, he established himself as one of Ireland's leading contemporary drivers.

While his skill and daring were evident, the way he carried himself away from his chosen domain endeared him to fans and his peers.

Reigning Junior WRC champion William Creighton, Indy NXT's James Roe and single-seater rising star Alex Dunne recently shared their memories of Breen's humility and selflessness with RTÉ Sport.

In winning the Junior WRC this year, Creighton became the second Irishman to win the title at that level, emulating Breen's 2011 achievement.

The Down man immediately dedicated the championship win to Breen who was not far from his thoughts, with the senior driver having always been ready to impart advice down through the years.

"I think the first time that we properly met was at a Hyundai test that I got an invite to for winning the Junior BRC (British Rally Championship) and he was the official driver at the time for developing the Rally2 car," Creighton recalled.

"Long before meeting Craig, we knew a lot about him, what he had achieved and I think the main thing that everyone knew Craig for was his personality.

"Whenever you got to an end of a stage at the WRC, you never knew what he was going to say but you knew that it would be truthful and his emotions would be on camera.

"He's just one of the most special characters that was ever in the WRC and Irish rallying."

Shortly before his death in Croatia,