At 7.30 p.m. on Friday evening 10th July 2015, Gussie McEvilly, President of Ballina Bridge Congress, welcomed the gathering of Bridge players in the Nephin Function room, Hotel Ballina. Present on the stage as this the 39th Annual Ballina Bridge Congress was about to start were: Mrs Freda Fitzgerald, President Conrtact Bridge Assoc. of Ireland; Ms. Angela McGrath, President North West Region CBAI; Mrs Mary Gilvarry, Treasurer Ballina Bridge Congress and Mr. Vincent McMahon, Congress Secretary.

The Congress President would like to thank sincerely our Congress Patrons, Sponsors, Congress Committee, Tournament Directors, CBAI, Hotel Manager Róisín and the hotel staff for making Congress 2015 a wonderful success. Special thanks to Fr. Joe Cahill who offered Mass for deceased Bridge players and all those present in the hotel on Sunday morning.

There were 27 tables in the Mixed Pairs on Friday night, 26 in the Congress pairs on Saturday and 21 in Intermediate Pairs on Saturday, and 22 Congress Teams on Sunday as well as 13 Intermediate Teams. The Open Pairs attracted 21 tables on Friday night, 17.5 on Saturday afternoon and 12 later on in the evening. Regretfully we did not have the required number of entries to warrant a separate Novice competition which had been scheduled for Saturday afternoon: the novices present played in the Open Pairs and there were valuable prizes for the top three novice pairs. Sunday morning had 12 tables in Open Pairs and 10.5 tables for the afternoon. 

Ballina Bridge Congress owes much gratitude to Tournament Directors Diarmuid Reddan and Huey Daly as well as John and Breeda Mulkearns.  We would also like to express extreme gratitude to Eileen O'Connor and the Sligo Bridge Clubs for their support, particularly with provision of tables for our event. Special thanks also to Kane Bridge Club, Ballina, for use of equipment.

BALLINA BRIDGE CONGRESS WINNERS 2015

Fiona Browne and Hugh McGann, winners Mixed Pairs 2015 with Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland, Gussie McEvilly, Congress President, and Mary Gilvarry, Congress Treasurer.	Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland, Brian Farrell, Mixed Pairs Runner-up with partner Maria Whelan and, Gussie McEvilly, Congress President,
Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland, and Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, congratulate Josie Cawley and Gerry Scanlon, 3rd in Mixed Pairs	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, with Catherine Lonergan and Danny Liddy who came 4th in Mixed Pairs
Fiona Browne and Hugh McGann (Congress Pairs Winners) with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Tom Gilligan and Billy Ronan, Congress Pairs Runners-up
Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Mary Finn and Ciara Burns, 3rd in Congress Pairs	Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland and Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, with Adrian Kenworthy and Martin Garvey, 4th in Congress Pairs
Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald and President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Maura Hand and Patsy Gibney, Congress Pairs 1st session winners	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Anne Fitzpatrich and Mary Kelly-Rogers, Congress  Pairs 2nd session winners
Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Mary Shannon and Nan Murtagh, winners Best Regional pair in Congress Pairs	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Mary and Bob Hackett, winners best Area Master in Congress Pairs
Kazimierz Noga and Kate Daultrey, Intermediate Pairs winners, with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Margaret and Patsy O'Kane, Intermediate Pairs Runners-up
Marion Coy and Deirdre McCoy, 3rd in Intermediate Pairs, with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland	Jerome Tarpey and Ray Nally, 4th Intermediate Pairs, with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland
Kathleen Maher and Mary Kilfeather, 1st session winners Intermediate Pairs, with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland	Mary-Jo Kelly and Lil Keane, 2nd session winners Intermediate Pairs, with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland
Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland, with Emer Canny and Irene Walkin, Best North-West Region Intermediate Pairs	Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, with Philip Moore and Mary Lynskey, 1st Novice

Justin Corfield, Jeroen Lodenwijks, Bernie Lodewijks and Richard Elvin, Winners 2015 Coca Cola Team-of-four  with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland

Martin Garvey, Anne Brodie-Allan, Cass O'Donnell and Adrian Kenworthy, Runners-up 2015 Coca Cola Team-of-four with Gussie McEvilly,  Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract  Bridge Accociation of Ireland

Mary Gilvarry, Congress Treasurer, Patsy Gibney and partner Maura Hand, winners 3rd prize, with Gussie McEvilly, Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland. Also included is Huey Daly, Congress Committee. Absent: Brendan and Helen Sheridan

Intermediate Team-of-four winners, John and Hilary McCrohan, Tom and Margaret Ginty with Gussie McEvilly, Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland.

Gussie McEvilly, Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland with Intermediate Team-of-four Runners-up: Kate Daultrey, Kazimierz Noga, Michelle Moloney and Paul Kane

Gussie McEvilly, Congress President, and Freda Fitzgerald, President Contract Bridge Accociation of Ireland with 3rd prize winners Intermediate Team-of-four: Helena Moran, Jo Moran, Margaret O'Kane and Patsy O'Kane

Group of Bridge players captured in Hotel Ballina  during 2nd session Congress Pairs Saturday July 11th 2015 (Click image to enlarge)

Seated front: John Godden, Eric Lessage, Margot McClure, Mary Brennan and Vincent Brennan Second row: Seamus Dowling, Alan Hill, Anne Fitzpatrick and Heather Hill Photo: Mary Kelly-Rogers

Margot McClure has rarely missed any Ballina Bridge Congress since it began first as a one-day Bridge Festival in 1976. She will celebrate her 99th birthday on July 30th 2015.   Margot is a former Chairman of the Northern Ireland Bridge Union (NIBU) and is its longest serving member. She is a founding member of the Fermanagh Bridge Congress, each year hosting a reception for patrons in her own home on Sunday morning of the congress. The photo on the left was taken in her hotel bedroom in Hotel Ballina where she continues to enterain her friends to this day! Those who knew her will remember her quiet endearing manner and if there were a title of Grand Lady of Irish Bridge, she would have little competition.   Margot played in the 39th Ballina Bridge Congress in a strong field of players to include European Champion Hugh McGann and World and European Champion Fiona Brown. (Fiona is current World and European Women Team Champion representing England). Hugh and Fiona went on to win both the Mixed and Congress Pairs and Margot and her partner were lying 8th after the first session in the latter. The President of the 39th Ballina Bridge Congress, Gussie McEvilly, presented Margot with a gift for her 99th birthday on July 30th and invited her back as a guest for Congress' 40th celebration next year in her 100th year. In reply Margot thanked the President and her Committee and advised all present on the merits of playing Bridge, a game that could successfully be played into old age. She concluded by saying she hoped to see everyone back next year, same time, same place for the double celebration.