In 2006 the club found its current location in Kiely’s Pub, and plays in the function room upstairs every Tuesday at 7.30 . The room is comfortable, with tea and coffee provided and with stunning views of Dublin Bay in the summer.

 

However its history goes back much further, to October 1954 when Monsignor Deery was Parish Priest, and a group of international bridge players formed the first bridge club in the area.

 

Tom Murray and Kevin Fowler were the founder members and Eileen O’Doherty and Cleo Fellows gave classes at 2s 6d per head. Local whist and other card players learned bridge, and soon the club prospered to create two sections, a senior and a weaker section.

 

All the profits went to the church and the club was open to non-members, except for major competitions. The reputation for a strong standard attracted many strong pairings who were practicing their conventions for CBAI events.

 

Eventually the club moved into the school hall, having three sections – the two previous being full, there was an overflow Howell competition. The club flourished through to the 1990s, contributing over €63,000 to the Parish and the School. Tom Clune managed the club until the early 1970s, when Ann O’Sullivan took over until early 2000.

 

As other bridge clubs started up in the area, as well as deaths of other players the club gradually lost members. When Ann retired around 2000 the club moved to the prefab buildings in the church grounds with a verbal promise of a room in the new parish centre being built at the time.

 

The club moved into the new centre for a few months when a curt letter was received 5 weeks from the end of 2003, terminating our tenancy. It was impossible to find anything suitable in the neighbourhood but the club had a lifeline with the offer of the Scouts Hall. This was back to our roots as it was a function room in 1954 – an old barn, where we started.

 

The move to Kiely’s has revitalised the club and we look forward to seeing you there!

 

About The Club

Founded in 1954, the Club enjoys a mix of Master and Inter Players