Hot on the heels of Tom Hanlon’s induction last week into the European Bridge League (EBL) Hall of Fame, we are delighted to report further recognition for Irish bridge at European level, with former CBAI Chief Executive Paul Porteous being awarded a gold medal by the EBL for his extraordinary contribution to European bridge.

As well as being the leading figure within the CBAI for thirty years, Paul served for more than ten years on the EBL’s Executive Committee, and as Secretary of the Executive for most of that period. He first came to prominence within the European sphere when he spearheaded the successful Irish hosting of the 2012 European Championships, taking over at short notice from Greece, who had to withdraw due to their economic crisis (and notwithstanding that we were going through an economic crisis of our own!). Subsequently, in the 2015-2020 period, Paul as Secretary of the Executive, and the only native English-speaker on the EBL’s top team, played a prominent role in coordinating the prosecution of the cheats who blighted the game at the top-level for so long, and the drawing up of enhanced regulations to try to ensure that it could never happen again. All the while, Paul was running Irish bridge, and playing to a standard which has seen him win Senior caps for Ireland (including on the current team in Riga) and also acting as non-playing captain of many Irish international teams.

We’re sure you will join us in congratulating Paul on this wonderful achievement. He is pictured with his wife Maureen receiving the gold medal from EBL President Eric Laurent.

Congratulations to Tom Hanlon on becoming the first Irish player ever to be elected to the European Bridge League (EBL) Hall of Fame.

The induction took place at the Opening Ceremony of the European Championships in Riga, and Tom is pictured above with EBL President Eric Laurent and Kathrine Bertheau of Sweden, who was also elected to the Hall. This is a wonderful achievement for Tom, and clear recognition of the esteem in which he is held by his peers and by the European bridge authorities.

Tom is Ireland’s most capped player, and is closing in on a century of caps. He graduated straight from the Juniors to the Open Team in 1994, and has the distinction of being our youngest ever Grand Master. Very popular and highly regarded worldwide, Tom has represented Ireland in pretty much every year since his junior debut in 1986. He has won all our major national titles, most of them on multiple occasions, and more than fifty in total. Internationally, his achievements include:

• 2006 Silver medal in the European Championships in Warsaw
• 2007 Bermuda Bowl in Shanghai
• 2012 Semi-finalist in the World Championships in Lille
• 2013 Silver medal in the Cavendish Teams; fourth in European Transnational Pairs partnering John Carroll
• 2017 Winner of Copenhagen Invitational Pairs partnering Vince Demuy
• 2023 Bermuda Bowl in Marrakech

Tom is also a multiple winner of the Camrose Trophy and the French Open League, has won the prestigious EBU tournaments the Lederer Trophy (several times) and the Spring Fours, and has many strong performances to his name in the US, including in the Vanderbilt and Spingold.

Away from the table, Tom has given a great deal to bridge, supporting and developing the game in many areas. He was an integral part of the player effort to expose the high-level cheaters who were such a blight on the game during the 2000-2015 period (in several of Tom’s podium finishes, including Warsaw in 2006, he was defeated by teams or pairs subsequently revealed to have been cheating). He continues to serve on our domestic Tournament & Play Committee. And in his early days in particular, Tom devoted considerable time to training juniors, and has consistently played in international events with emerging talented players.

In spite of his extensive commitments as a full-time professional player, Tom continues to support as many national and club events as he can – he is a proud and popular member of the Regent Bridge Club in Dublin. At these events, Tom always obliges participants with answers to their bridge queries and advice about systems, as well as entertaining them with stories from tournaments abroad. His enthusiasm for bridge and his consistent drive toward improvement makes him a very natural promoter of the game. Tom was also the bridge correspondent for the Evening Herald newspaper for many years.

His partnership with Hugh McGann was at the core of many of Ireland’s bridge achievements, and, since Hugh left for foreign parts, Tom has built an extremely successful partnership with another player who graduated seamlessly from the junior ranks, Conor Boland. Tom has also had many successes in partnership with John Carroll.

We're sure all Irish bridge players will join us in congratulating Tom, and we will mark his achievement in due course. 

Sue Power - President Elect, Paul Porteous - Immediate Past President, Frances Kelly - President 2026-2027

A special card presented to Paul

These arrangements apply from early June until 27th August. 

All visitors must sign the guest book on arrival.

Regent Bridge Club:
The club is open to all players of Area Master grade and higher on Wednesday evenings, without any requirement to seek advance permission. In addition, members may play with visitors of Intermediate A1 grade (or equivalent) or higher. Visitors from overseas are welcome.

Regent Academy:
The Academy is open to all CBAI-affiliated Intermediate and Novice players on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Two visitors may play together but must book in advance by email to regentclubmanager@gmail.com. Visitors from overseas are welcome subject to grade criteria.