Fresh from his fourth Irish Tarmac Championship title win in 1997, Austin McHale was out to defend his title in 1998 against strong opposition, many of whom had upgraded their machinery for the new season. The event included stages in Connemara on the Saturday to celebate the 25th anniversary of the rally where wiper difficulties saw McHale drop as low as 8th, before climbing back up to 2nd behind overnight night leader Bertie Fisher. As McHale piled on the pressure on day 2, a costly error from Fisher saw him hit a wall allowing the Dubliner to swoop in and claim his 6th Galway win.