13 pairs have entered ….
| Pair | Pair Names |
| 1 | Jill Kulchycky, Petra O’Neill |
| 2 | Joan Kenny, Teresa Rigney |
| 3 | Jeannie Fitzgerald, Emer Joyce |
| 4 | Louise Mitchell, Lucy Phelan |
| 5 | Betty Cotter, Jean Kelly |
| 6 | Carol-Anne Cummins, Sandra Newell |
| 7 | Brid Kirby, Maureen Pattinson |
| 8 | Liz Taaffe, Kathleen Vaughan |
| 9 | Antoinette McGee, Aoife McHale |
| 10 | Cathy Bearpark, LizAnne O’Reilly |
| 11 | Dolores Gilliland, Bríd Kemple |
| 12 | Marian Croke, Catherine Lonergan |
| 13 | Eileen O’Donovan, Maria Whelan |
The prestigious English Bridge Union ‘Gold Cup’ has been won by the team of Simon Gillis, Zia Mahmood (both London), Espen Erichsen (Kent), Boye Brogeland, Espen Lindqvist & Tom Hanlon (Ireland). This another remarkable victory for local hero Tom Hanlon – widely acknowledged as one of the best Bridge Players in the world.
CBAI Duais (Pat Duff Ardee)
BEGINNERS AND IMPROVERS CLASSES – starting this coming Thursday night in the Southern Hotel Sligo starting at 7.30 pm. All Welcome
FANTASTIC BRIDGE WEEKEND IN CLIFDEN 21st and 22nd October
We are all saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend Mary Finn after a short illness – just a week after turning 50. Mary was one of Ireland’s top Bridge players, attaining the rank of Life Master and representing Ireland at International level on a number of occasions. Despite her young age, Mary won most of the National titles – winning the National President’s Prize as recently as last September. Mary was favourite to win any competition she entered and she will be missed by her regular partners Ciara Burns, Cian Holland, Sean O’Lubaigh, Sean Gillan and many others. Despite her prowess at the game, she still found time to mingle with the rest of us and was a great supporter of local Bridge Congresses all around the country – both North and South of the border. Mary was one of those rare players that are a tournament director’s dream – you never knew she was in the room – she came in quietly, she played quietly and she left quietly. She had that beautiful inner trait that helped her avoid any arguments or controversies either at the table or away from the table. Although she was quiet she had a few good witty Bridge stories to recount.
We were honoured to have had her with us in Sligo for the past four years and I have instances of her refusing to take prizemoney and looking the other way when her opponents made mistakes. She was always on hand to offer help and we will sorely miss her. Irish Bridge has lost another of its truly Great People. A special mention to Ena and Aidan Cleary who took Mary under their wings over the years. We extend our deepest sympathies to her brothers and sister – Patrick, Jimmy, Tom, John and Catherine.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Kevin Coleman on the death of his brother Patrick.
Anne Kelly (Tubbercurry) RIP
We send our heartfelt sympathies to Tommy Kelly and Sinead on the recent death of one of our most loyal members Anne. May she rest in peace.
Yeats Country Bridge Congress – A Big Thank You
We say a big ‘Thank you’ to all who attended our 54th Annual Bridge Congress at the weekend. We had a bumper entry in all competitions and as well as congratulating all the winners, we especially want to thank anyone who supported us in any way. We are also indebted to CBAI President Freda Fitzgerald and to Chief Executive Paul Porteous for their help and assistance. There were also apologies from regular visitors who were not able to join us this year and it was great to see some new players joining us for the first time. A big ‘well done’ to the Management and Staff of the Radisson Blu hotel for looking after us so well. Our goal each year is a simple one – provide a first class game in a first class venue with a first class welcome for everyone. We hope we have succeeded in that.
We are lucky in Sligo to have a large hard working committee under the direction of our Chairman, Jim Sproule, and Jim especially wants to acknowledge the incredible work and dedication of Mairead Basquille (Accommodation), Assumpta Kelly (Hospitality), Declan Gallagher (Treasurer) and Frank Goodwin (Secretary) in putting themselves at the complete disposal of the visiting players over the weekend to make sure that everyone enjoyed their stay in Sligo. Our ‘Open Pairs’ events in Sligo has become the ‘trademark’ of our Congress over the years especially because the players are completely pampered by our two Tournament Directors (Gillian Ballantyne and Eileen O’Connor). Behind the scenes, there are never ending jobs that have to be done, setup, tidy up, with the venue needing a fresh setup at the end of each night and we are indebted to the following people in that regard Ronnie Kelly (Chief Steward), Jim O’Malley, Kathleen Maher, Gladys Sheridan, Mary Kilfeather, Frances Sproule, Dolores Crummy, Margaret Nally, Marie Kelly, John Scanlon, Kevin Coleman, Tom Byrne, Tommy Banks and Dave Flanagan and Kelsey Henry (photographer). We are also lucky to have the voluntary services of our friend Diarmuid Reddan.
We hope to see you all back again next year.
Sligo 2016 Novice Pairs Result
Results Sligo Congress Pairs 2016
Result Sligo Intermediate Pairs 2016
The Second Session of the Invitational Premier Pairs takes place this coming Friday 27th May in the Regent Bridge Club starting at 2 O’Clock. We have 8 of the top pairs in action playing 8 board matches against one another and you can follow all the action on BBO.
Patsy McTeggart RIP
It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Patsy McTeggart – one of the most cheerful and most pleasant players ever to grace a Bridge table. Patsy was one of our founding members and as well as taking on the role of secretary she took on the even more important role of ‘social secretary’ and indeed there was no ‘party’ like a ‘Patsy Party’. Her renditions of such party pieces as ‘Rindercella’ have left lasting memories on those of us who were fortunate enough to hear her in full flight. When God meets Patsy he will wonder why it took him so long to call her – the ‘craic’ will be that good! May she rest in peace.
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Sue McCrory RIP
We are sorry to report the death of one of our great Bridge supporters Sue McCrory (Ballisodare). Sue was one of those rare people – who as nice and beautiful at the table as she was away from the table. We extend our deepest sympathies to her sisters Nan Dykes and Terry Martyn and her extended family. May she rest in peace.
You are asked to keep Moira Moylan in your thoughts as Moira needs our prayers at this time too. We send our best wishes to Joan Coleman.