When an Oracle Red Bull Racing car was spotted zooming around Connemara last month, Formula One fans here and abroad were curious to know why.
This week, their questions have been answered with the release of The Tale of the Tarbh Dearg; a story of speed through time.
A winding journey through the hills and valleys of Connemara, The Tale of the Tarbh Dearg celebrates the triumphs, trials and tribulations of Oracle Red Bull Racing since the team’s first season in Formula One in 2005, while paying tribute to Ireland’s grand tradition of storytelling.
The piece also includes a stocking filler for keen Oracle Red Bull Racing fans; with the RB7 sporting a brand new livery. A retro-style, fan-designed livery, the Forever Rebl RB7 Customs Livery celebrates the heritage of Oracle Red Bull Racing and 20 years of innovation.
The short film opens with the sleeping beauty of Connemara awakened by the unmistakable roar of the RB7 engine.
As the 2011 championship winning car races through Galway’s valleys and mountains, a local seanchaí (Macdara Ó Fátharta – Ros na Rún) recalls the famous story of the Tarbh Dearg, a mythical hero, triggering memories of Red Bull Racing’s own storied past.
From Coulthard earning the team’s first podium in 2006, and the first Grand Prix win with Sebastian Vettel in 2009, to the unprecedented era of success from 2010 to 2014 that followed, the conquered peaks of seasons past are mirrored in the rolling valleys of the Twelve Bens.
As sparks fly from a fire on the shores of Pine Island, the seanchaí looks back on the team’s famous rivalries and fiercest battles over the last decade and more, when tensions rose amid the heat of the F1 circuit.
But like all great heroes we’re told, the Tarbh Dearg is not defined by its setbacks, but by how it responds to them; the piece concluding with a nod to recent wins spearheaded by Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen.
The 12,500 fans who attended last month’s Red Bull F1 Showrun in Salthill will no doubt be familiar with much of the scenery along the N59. From the famous Sky Road and Clifden GAA Club, to Claddaghduff and Pine Island, the beauty and magic of Connemara shines throughout.
For more on the Tale of the Tarbh Dearg, including behind-the-scenes content, follow @redbullire and @redbullracing on Instagram or TikTok.
