THE 1997 Circuit of Ireland will be based in Tallaght, at the Abberley Court Hotel, on the nights of Good Friday and Easter Saturday. "We are very pleased to bring the rally to a Dublin audience," said AA public affairs manager Conor Faughnan yesterday.

This will be the third year of sponsorship by the AA. As usual, the rally will run over four days, from Friday to Monday. It starts in Bangor on the morning of March 28th with the route to Dublin and Tallaght via Birches, Aughnacloy, Monaghan and Ardee.

The nine Saturday stages will cover a loop through the Wicklow Mountains, with the Sally Gap,, covered twice, plus stages near Kilcullen, Co Kildare. Last Easter, the Sally Gap had to be cancelled on safety grounds when too many spectators turned up. However, this time the Ulster Automobile Club and the AA are proposing stages in the morning and afternoon which should hopefully ease the spectator and access problems. An added attraction will be a spectator stage in The Square, Tallaght.

Sunday morning will see the rally head for Mullingar, Longford and Boyle, followed by supper and service in Sligo. Three more stages will take the rally over the Sperrin Mountains and via the M2 to Bangor.

On Monday there will be a repeat of the Bangor Castle Park stage and three stages at Birches, followed by a repeat of two further stages (from Good Friday). Service at Dungannon will be followed by a further three stages in the Cappagh Mountains. After another service in Dungannon, the rally will have a spectator stage in Lurgan Park before the early afternoon finish in Bangor.

For the first time the Circuit will have a woman clerk of the course, with Bridget McKernan heading up a new organising committee combining old and new talent. "In all the changes made for 1997, these have been towards the competitors' needs and therefore I feel it is the best value for money and a more user friendly event," said McKernan.