John has a long association with Full of the Pipe

11/07/2024

Roscommon trucker John McGarry’s love affair with Full of the Pipe dates back to the very first staging of Ireland’s premier truck show in Athlone in June, 2010. John is going to be launching his stunning new 30th-anniversary Mercedes 630 at this year’s Full of the Pipe extravaganza in Mondello Park.

John McGarry runs his own haulage company as an owner-driver and also has a workshop specialising in truck refurbs, upgrades and resprays. Since starting out in business with a 2800 DAF on May 1st, 1994, the Roscommon man has operated a succession of stunning lorries, which have got more and more impressive as the years roll by.

He likes to mix it up. Every lorry he drives is different – Scania, DAF, MAN, Mercedes, Iveco, it matters not. He also likes to go for a different colour and style of bodywork each time and it’s fair to say that the jaw-dropping brand-new Mercedes 630 that will make its first public appearance at Full of the Pipe 2024 – his 30th-anniversary vehicle – raises the bar even further than hitherto.

On his long and unique relationship with FOTP, the Roscommon truck aficionado comments: “I’ve been driving my own truck for 30 years as of May 1st 2024 and I attended the first Full of the Pipe in Athlone 14 years ago. I was driving a MAN at the time. That was a real game-changer for me – it was my first truck show and since then I’ve been attending shows all over Ireland, the UK and Europe. I then started to paint trucks myself and that’s what I’m at today.”

John points out that Full of the Pipe presents truckers with a great excuse to pull out all the stops and bring their trucks up to the highest standards: “It’s almost like an NCT,” he quips. “Truckers put a lot of effort into getting their trucks ready for the weekend. As well as having the craic and enjoying the event, you have this chance to get your lorry ready once a year.

“The level of interest and enthusiasm is unreal from owner drivers through to large fleet operators. I’d never had a truck at a show before that first Full of the Pipe and I’ve never stopped going to shows since. This year I’ll be at Assen and Truckfest and all over. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s a huge show or a small truck run. It doesn’t have to be massive; I enjoy them all.”

John struck up a close friendship with Full of the Pipe organisers Kevin Mulqueen and Colin Hegarty and found himself chosen to work as a judge at the show in the past. He has also judged at a variety of other shows.

“Full of the Pipe got me hooked and I’ve been hooked ever since that first show,” he continues. “Full of the Pipe has done for Ireland what Assen has done for Europe. It really is on that level. I’ve been to Waterford and Tipperary as well and they are good shows, too, well worth attending, but they’re not Full of the Pipe. Full of the Pipe is on a different level.”

As far as John is concerned, moving the show to Mondello Park represents a huge step forward: “Joining up with Mondello is a great idea because no matter what the weather is this weekend, it will make no difference. The track isn’t far off the level of a Formula One track and the venue will be set up perfectly. I’ve been to shows in Mondello before but I expect this one to be different because of the personal touch provided by Kevin and Colin. When you go to Full of the Pipe, you will always meet them there.

“There are no politics and the judges judge the truck not the individual. I’ve entered lorries before myself and thought they were cracking lorries but I left empty-handed. Everybody goes to win but they can’t all win. You have to go to enjoy yourself, too.”

John has done an unbelievable amount of work transforming his new truck since purchasing it over a year ago and can’t wait to launch it at Full of the Pipe on the Saturday evening. “I only started doing this work after going to my first Full of the Pipe. You see what Daran Hollywood does and what Jennings does and pick up ideas from going to the show.”

After a brief hiatus, John is delighted that Full of the Pipe is back up and running in a traditional summer slot: “It’s great to see the boys back because there was talk of them winding it up. Mondello is a great venue and I’m confident it’s going to be a success. It has a good name, is well advertised and all the boys want to get a trophy at Full of the Pipe. It’s a great weekend for drivers and I love to see the level of detail they go to with their trucks.

“There are lots of different levels that boys will go to, depending on their budget, but all the lorries are always immaculate. There is an elite group of drivers who are extremely dedicated and who must be really proud of their trucks – and rightly so. I wouldn’t be quite at that level but I like to keep it clean and tidy. I’m really looking forward to the weekend and to meeting old friends and making new ones.”

John has immense respect for the organisers: “Their passion for trucks shines through at the show. The level of dedication it takes to organise this show is a credit to them. Everybody who is there goes to enjoy themselves. Nobody will be at Full of the Pipe against their will. You will see young and old, from three year olds up to older people who have never driven a lorry in their lives. This year’s show is going to be special – it’s happening in the warmer time of year and is in Mondello Park. You couldn’t get a better venue.”.

One of the great pluses this year is that the event is going to be weather-proofed: “I don’t know what the story is with the weather, if it’s just bad luck or what, but in the last couple of years there have been so many shows ruined by bad weather. A show in a field is great if you get the weather, but it’s a big risk. To be honest, the way things have panned out recently, I’d be reluctant to go to a show in a field with a lorry like this.

“Even towards the end in Punchestown, there were lads getting stuck on the grass. You won’t have any issue with that in Mondello,” John concludes. “You can put it in your diary: ‘I’m going and I’m going to be on dry ground and walking on tarmac’. It’s going to be brilliant.

“I for one can’t wait because I love lorries … I love driving them, I love painting them, I love polishing them and I love looking at them.”