Lake Bridge Club looks back on successful year
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The winners of the Chairman of the Bridge Centre Prize. From left: Tom Roche; Margaret Culkin, president of Lake Bridge Club; Eamonn Bray, chairman of the Bridge Centre; Joan Peppard; Sean Galligan, tournament director.Image 2 of 13
Margaret Culkin with members of her family. From left: David, Katie, Rita Molloy (winner), Margaret Culkin, Laura, Maura Maguire (winner) and Martin, Katie’s fiancé.Image 3 of 13
Sean Galligan and Carmel Maher, gross winners in the President’s Prize with Margaret Culkin.Image 4 of 13
Gerry O’Gorman and Tony O’Sullivan relaxing before the President’s Dinner.Image 5 of 13
Margaret Culkin presenting the winners of the teams competition with their trophy. From left: John Butler, Kathleen O’Hara, Margaret Culkin, Mary Geary and Patricia Gardiner.Image 6 of 13
Winners of the Ennell Trophy, John Butler and Kathleen O’Hara, with Margaret Culkin.Image 7 of 13
Spooky ladies on Halloween night: Mary O’Reilly, Margaret Culkin and Helen Lynch.Image 8 of 13
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Winners of the Christmas hampers competition, Gerry Smith, and Evelyn Corrigan with Margaret Culkin.Image 10 of 13
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Sean Galligan rubbing shoulder with world bridge player Thomas Hanlon, with Rita Molloy in the background.Image 12 of 13
Margaret Culkin with the winners of the President’s Prize, Rita Molloy and Maura Maguire.Image 13 of 13
Lake Bridge Club looks back on a very successful bridge year under the presidency of Margaret Culkin.
The club commenced its calendar of competitions in early October with large numbers back playing on Wednesday and Friday nights. The first competition was the trophy in honour of the late Pat Lynam, which was won by Kathleen O’Hara and John Butler. The president ran very serious and competitive competitions, and at the same time added a little relaxation and fun into our bridge nights by having a very enjoyable Halloween fancy dress with refreshments etc. Then it was back to business with simultaneous pairs won by Bridget Byrne and Teresa Maguire.
Christmas was upon us with Christmas hampers won by Evelyn Corrigan and Gerry Smith, followed by a very memorable Christmas party night with all the festive fare. The new year started off with a bang with the Ennell Trophy won by Kathleen O’Hara and John Butler. This was closely followed by the spring simultaneous pairs, won by Tom Roche and Joan Peppard. The Lake Bridge Club hosted the Mullingar Bridge and Amenity Centre Chairperson's Competition, Eamonn Bray’s competition, which was won by Tom Roche and Joan Peopard. The Analagh Fun Night was won by Oliver Smith and Peter Gilsenan.
A very successful charity night was held with a large amount of money raised for St Vincent de Paul and UNICEF. The winners on that night were Kathleen O’Hara and John Butler. The Founder Members' trophy is always a very exciting night as it is a team event rather than pairs. The winning team was Kathleen O’Hara, John Butler, Mary Geary and Patricia Gardiner. Looking back over the records of winners of various competitions, the same pair winning so many in the one year is hard to find. Kathleen O’Hara and John Butler play together every Wednesday night. John is a very steady and relaxed player. Kathleen is reputed to be the longest-serving member of the Lake Bridge Club.
It’s not breaking a confidence or revealing a secret to say Kathleen is in her 80s. She is able to get the better of most players that are years younger than her at the bridge table. Kathleen plays on a Wednesday and a Friday night, arrives in dressed like a lady, with a friendly word for everyone and a smile on her face regardless of what personal issues she is dealing with. Kathleen is an inspiration to us all in our retirement to live an active life, and bridge is so good at keeping your mind active, along with good conversation and banter.
The grand finale of the year is always the President’s Prize. The winners of the President’s Prize are presented with their prize at the President’s Dinner, which is held the week after the competition. The winners this year were Maura Maguire and Rita Molloy. Maura and Rita are two stalwart members of the Lake Bridge Club, always very close runners-up in a lot of competitions. What makes their win more unique is that Rita Molloy is in her 90s, again proving that bridge is for all ages. Margaret Culkin, addressing the guests at her dinner, spoke about the wonderful year she had as president and thanked everyone for their support.
While we had a very successful year with competitions and events, we also had some very sad times with the passing of a number of our members. Pat Seery, a master bridge player and a long-serving member of the Lake Bridge Club, passed away. Jim Quinlivan, a very shrewd bridge player and helpful at the bridge table, called it a day. A former president, John Burke, a very quiet and gentle man, also went to his final destination. There was the death of Jim Hearn, a founder member of the Lake Bridge Club and former president of the Lake Bridge Club, who made a huge contribution to bridge in Mullingar. He played at the highest level and achieved master status at bridge. President Margaret Culkin would like to again extend a vote of sympathy to their families.
We already spoke about bridge being a very enjoyable game with no age limits. We will be commencing classes in the Bridge Centre in Mullingar in September. For further information please contact Sean on 087416 0724 or Eamonn on 086444 9078.