Well done to the congress organisers on an excellent weekend of bridge in the Talbot Hotel, Clonmel, with lots of competitions across all grades. Numbers were up by approximately 20% on the previous year, continuing a recent trend, and a tribute to the hard work of President Anne Nolan and her committee.
The prizewinners were:
- Mixed Pairs: Tom Hardiman & Pat Fitzgibbon
- Novice Pairs (Fri): Patricia O’Brien & Mary O’Reilly
- Intermediate Pairs: Mary Beausang & Geraldine Browne
- Congress Pairs: Lucy Phelan & Louise Mitchell
- Novice Pairs (Sat): Dena Mulcahy & Bernie Phelan
- Congress Teams: Jim Doyle, Sean Connor, Denis Sheehan, Kay Cussen
- Open Pairs (various): Gordon Lessells & Dermot O’Brien; Nicola O’Dowd & Ena Souhan; Noel Bradfield & Frank Roche; Shula McCarthy & Eamon Murphy
TD Diarmuid Reddan did his usual excellent job and ensured everything went smoothly.
Congratulations also to Wales (Tim Rees, Ceri Pierce, Paul Denning, Diane Kurbalija, Richard Plackett, Mia Deschepper) who were the were the winners of the inaugural British Isles Trophy (home international mixed teams) held online on RealBridge. Both Irish teams finished in the middle of the pack. Kudos to Hilary McDonagh and Peter Stewart, who topped the Butler rankings, a fine achievement particularly for Peter who was making his first appearance in an Irish jersey, albeit a virtual one. Thanks to the Scottish Bridge Union, especially Mike Ash and Juliet Vivers, and the team at RealBridge for making this happen. Feedback is that all the players enjoyed it, so it may become an annual event. You’ll find the full results here.