History of Newcastle Bridge Club

(Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea)

Aggie Gartland initiated the first club of this name in 1942 and Rubber Bridge was played. Later Duplicate Bridge was introduced by Mr Ted O’Boyle and the club was affiliated to the Northern Ireland Bridge Union.

The founder members were:

Miss Aggie Gartland

Mr Arthur and Mrs Eithne Gallery

Mr Ben & Mrs Ita O’Clery

Dr Nolan

Dr W. McKeown

Mr & Mrs Morton

Mr & Mrs Arthur Woods

Mr & Mrs Phillips

Mrs Dobbin

The first venue was the Slieve Donard Hotel, for which there was a £5 room charge; and later it was moved to the then privately owned River House. However, through the good offices of Harold Franklin, the well knowninternational player, the club was invited back to the hotel and was presented with 12 bridge tables by the management – it was owned at the time by the Grand Metropolitan Hotels.

The next move came in 1986 when the club was given permission to use the sun lounge in the Mourne Golf Club. Until the Covid-19 restrictions both the Newcastle and the Mourne Bridge Clubs played in this beautiful venue. The Maghera Bridge Club (also known as the Parish Centre Club) played in the Parish Centre.

At present, Newcastle Bridge Club plays on BBO (Bridge Base Online) at 7.30pm on Monday evenings. The Mourne Bridge Club plays on BBO on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm. The 3rd club in Newcastle, Maghera Bridge Club, was started by John Taylor to provide a venue for beginners who were keen to improve sufficiently to join one or both of the main clubs. This club met in the Parish Centre on Friday evenings, and up until the covid-19 pandemic, was very well supported by both beginners and experienced players. Hopefully, it will start again with face-to-face bridge in the spring when there will be a new cohort of improver’s graduating from John Taylor & Frank MCGreevy’s class!

Last updated : 19th Oct 2023 19:24 BST

Recent History October 2023

With the onset of Covid-19 in March 2019, when all face-to-face competitions had to be cancelled, members of the Newcastle Bridge Clubs turned to Bridge Base Online (BBO), the world’s largest bridge playing platform as of November 2021. Committee members Rosemary Cunningham and Maria Doyle investigated setting up tournaments for all interested Newcastle players, resulting in a very enthusiastic uptake by members, from novices to experienced. There are now many members trained in the role of Tournament Director, who set up and manage the competitions, although more volunteers for this role are very welcome. Currently, BBO is used on Monday by the Newcastle club and Wednesday evenings by the Mourne club.

In September 2022, the Newcastle Bridge Club restarted a face-to-face competition on Monday afternoons, giving members the opportunity to meet and socialise in person. It is particularly welcome for those members who chose not to, or who couldn’t play online.

In summer 2023 we played online with the Newcastle club and on Wednesday evenings in the Annesley Hall in the summer bridge club started by John Redmond, who sadly died early in 2020.

Since the end of September the Newcastle Bridge Club has continued to play online on BBO while the Mourne Bridge Club has returned to face-to-face bridge in the Mourne Golf Club on Wednesday evenings.

The Maghera Bridge Club is currently not operational, but it is hoped it will resume on Friday evenings in the spring of 2023.

Last updated : 19th Oct 2023 19:30 BST

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