Presidents: FEDELMA SHEEHY and JOE DEMPSEY

The year is remembered for the marvellous iced cakes which were served on competition nights. The decorations were so good, that we had a job persuading everyone that "Yes, we would cut the cake" - only the first time as the sponge cakes were even better than the decorations.

The Bridge Centre competitions took on a new lease of life after the decision to reduce the table monet from € 10 to € 5 and to invite the Presidents of the constituent clubs and their partner.

Another novelty was the introduction of a monthly handicap competiton in September. Each member was given a handicap based on his/her results in the previous season. The aim was to distribute the prizes more evenly amongst the club members.

Presidents: DOREEN LUMLEY and FEDELMA SHEEHY

The club had gotten used to pre-dealt boards which were prepared by Joe Dempsey each week using a hand-dealing machine. There was some grumbling and moaning about "the computer hands" but that was quietened down when analysis of the hands was shown to be consistent with a random selection of the cards. And yes, sometimes you do get a hand that is passed out!

In the summer, the Bridge Centre purchased a dealing machine and soon all the clubs had the benefit of pre-dealt boards. The club web-site now had not only the contract, declarer, lead and result but all the hands so that interested members could go back and check that, indeed, it was partner's fault that they came 2nd!

Another succesful year in terms of members and finaces, with the Hon Treasurer reporting a record balance of € 5,283 in December (but with CBAI affiliation fee oustanding)

At the Christmas Party we were entertained by singer/musician Austin Prior. After a cagey start, soon everybody was up and dancing the night away.

Presidents: EILEEN DUNNE and DOREEN LUMLEY

Bridgemate Terminals were introduced to record the scores at the table and communicate them to the PC Scoring programme. This was to replace the paper scoring used up till then. The results of the competition were then available immediately after the play of the last hand and removed the task of entering all the scores into the PC by the TD. Also, this enabled details of the contract, lead card and result for each hand to be posted on the web-site.

However, a sharp eyed-member spotted a discrepancy between the scores posted on the website and the scores on the night. Further invesitigation into this, including the analysis of the computer logs enabled the matter to be brought into the light of day and dealt with appropriately. A lesson in human nature and the power of computer logging was learnt by all involved.

The club had a successful year financially with a balance of € 4,500 noted in December 2012.

On a different note, the level of entries for the Centre competition, in particular for the Century Cup was disappointing and it was noted that the entry fee of € 10 may be a factor.

Presidents: ROSALEEN WALSHE and EILEEN DUNNE

The year was disrupted by the Rosaleen's illness and many thanks were due to Eileen who stepped in to fill the gap.

The club progressed in terms of numbers with 19 new members being reported in the minutes of the December meeting.

Fedelma reported a healthy balance of € 3,815 at the same meeting.The Christmas party was held on 15th December. Penny prepared and ran the Musical Quiz (I know that song, can even remember the words but who was the performer?) and the highlight was the Hat competition. Photos are still on the News Archive pages.

Presidents: MARTIN COLBERT and ROSALEEN WALSHE

The annual Charity Night was moved from November to early in the year. In 2010 it was in aid of the Laura Lynn Charity and raised the sum of € 2,300

The secretary reported at the AGM that the club now had 114 members, including 8 new members. A further 5 applicants were accepted in September 2010.

Presidents: BRIGID EARLEY and MARTIN COLBERT

The members at the AGM agreed to keep the club open during August so the club was once again "Open all year".

The question of the over- 80s was discussed in particular in relation to their affiliation fee to the CBAI. No decision was taken and the matter was left to another day.

The club welcomed a number of new members during the year and certainly appears to have left all the financial difficulties behind it, judging from the Bank Balance noted in the minutes of the December meeting.

Presidents: TOM KING and BRIGID EARLEY

During 2008 there was a move away from having a "Draw for partners". This was discussed at the AGM and it was decided to leave it to the President's discretion.

Another change was that the able money was to be increased to € 4 from September 2008. This was discussed at a committee meeting in April but it isn't clear if it was ever put into practise. However, the annual subscription was discussed at the AGM and the amount was raised to € 25 per annum.

The annual Charity event was run in November in aid of the Wicklow Homeless 5 Loaves Charity.

Presidents: LISA HENNESSY and TOM KING

I would suggest that in the future, the phrase "draw for partners" would be amended to read "draw for playing partners". Otherwise, some future historian may come to an unsavoury opinion of St Crispin's Bridge Club.

The year was another successful year both in numbers and finnces. A new feature of the committee meeting minutes was a noted balance of the bank accounts and cash in hand. This ensured that all the committee would be aware of the financial position of the club. The final minutes of the year in November note that the balance now stood at € 2,814.

 A sad note in the October minutes noted that Liam Byrne had died. if you re-read the very first minutes below, you will see that he was instrumental in the founding of the club in 1991 and was the inaugural President.

Presidents: DENIS GRAY and LISA HENNESSY

The club finances were a problem discussed at a few of the committee meetings during the year. Although it was noted that the Financial Report was accepted at the AGM and no queries were raised by any of the members at that time. I am happy to report that with the different measures undertaken the club finaces were re-dressed and put on a more sustainable path by the end of the year.

The number of members reached 145 at the AGM and there were 16 people on the waiting list. Seven of these wer Grade B or higher and were admitted in June 2006. A decision on the novices was deferred until a later date. The number of tables over the summer was disappointingly low with an average of 6 or 7 and there was some talk of closing for the summer. Happily, this did not come to pass and the club remains open all the year around.

The Charity Night was held iin October and raised over € 2,500 for the Dublin Simon Community through table money, raffle ticket sales and donations

The year was closed with the Christmas Party which featured a Quiz prepared by Kevin O'Dea and Karen Purcell.

Presidents: JUSTINE RYNHART and DENIS GRAY

Obviously, the joint Christmas party was not the success hoped for and it was decided to revert to the previous format. What happened, can anyone provide some details of the evening?

The Club continued with a large number of members - at the AGM in May karen reported that we had 145 members and 14 on the waiting list. The annual subscription was raised to € 20 per member.

The question of CBAI fees and the possibility of a reduced subscription for the over-80s was discussed once or twice but no decision was taken.

Regarding the finances, the Hon Treasurer reported that the bank balance on 22 September stood at € 2,380 so obviously the slight hiccup announced at the AGM (a deficit of € 1,300 was reported for the year 2004/2005)  was a thing of the past and the club was back on solid ground.

Presidents: Kevin O'DEA and JUSTINE RYNHART

2004 saw the first printed copy of the minutes, courtesy of the Hon Secretary Yvonne O'Doherty. Thank you, Yvonne, it's made my research much easier as I no longer have to decipher hand-written copies. Although some of the hand-writing was exemplary, it has to be said.

Another new feature introduced was the use of pre-dealt boards for use in major competitions. No doubt there were groans and complaints about the "difficult" deals and how it was so much better in the "good old times"

The Club was in a very successful period - at the AGM in May, it was reported that St Crispin's was the biggest bridge club in the centre with 138 members and and had an average turnout of 13-15 tables. With 16 people on the waiting list, the club was going from strength to strength.

The table money was increased to € 3 in Spetember 2004 - and it has remained at € 3 ever since.You won't find many products or services that have the same price now as over 10 years ago!

In a new departure, a joint Christmas Party was organised in association with Coolagad Bridge Club and Greystones Bridge Club. It was to be held on 13th December 2004. How did it fare? - you will have to read the minutes from 2005 to find out!

Presidents: Wendy COUGHLAN and Kevin O'DEA

2003 was another successful year with a large waiting list - 8 new members were invited to join in March and a further 13 in September.

One event featured twice in the minutes during the year - the IBU Qualifier. A number of members played in the qualifying tournament early in the year and went on to play in the event in Templeogue. However, notes from the June minutes note that a decision was made that the Club would not enter the IBU qualifier again as apparently it was a fiasco and not worth the money!

The October minutes note that a Tournament Director course is to be run over 3 Saturdays and that the Club would refund the fee of € 25 for any member participating in the course - but no further mention is made, so it is unclear as to who, if anyone, particpated!

The annual Charity Night was held  at the end of November in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and over € 2,000 was raised through table money and raffle tickets.

Presidents: Monica BRADY and Wendy COUGHLAN

An intriguing entry in the minutes from the beginning of 2002. It was certainly a night to remember by all accounts.

The minutes for the rest of the year record the various competitoins, charity nights and events

A new departure was that a bar-person was to be employed. The minutes from the August meeting report that the tea & the bar will be run by students. The bar would open at 8:30 and will remain open during play. It would be closed around 11 or 11:15pm. The person manning the bar would receive € 25 per night.

Late in the year, it ws decided to purchase a table cloth on the occasion of the Charity Night. The President, Wendy Coughlan, undertook to purchase the cloth. At the final meeting of the year, it was recorded that the St Crispin's Table Cloth had indeed being purchased at a cost of € 188 and 15 cents.

The last entry for the year reports that all members of the club are now duly paid up.

Presidents: Marie VERNON and Monica BRADY

2001 started with the annual Bill Maloney Trophy in January and then saw the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Club. The occasion was feted with a party in the Bridge Centre.which was an unqualified success by all accounts or at least by the written entry in the minutes of the committee meeting of 23rd April.

The finances of the club were in good order with a balance of £ 2,484.98 recorded at the AGM in May 2001 according to the Treasurer, Kevin O'Dea. The rent was now £ 100 per month but this now included tea and biscuits. The CBAI affiliation fees were higher, too and were now £ 4.50 per member per year.

The Running Lamb competitin was moved to it's current location in the annual timetable with the first night taking place on 20th September.

The paid up membership was recorded as 94 on 8th November and it was decided to accept the six new applicants, if they were eligible.

The year ended with the traditional Charity Night in favour of St Vincent de Paul which was held on 29th Novemeber. There were 21 1/2 tables and raised £ 1,400 between the table money, raffle and donations.

Presidents: Marie KIDNEY and Marie VERNON

The 10th year of the club's existence passed by smoothly. at the committee meeting in February 200, it was noted that the affiliation fees had been paid for 113 members so certainly the number of members was in line with taht of the previous years.

During the year the club again hosted the Eileeen O'Doherty Trophy in April and the Century Cup in November - both events were a success, although there is a note about a "glitch"  during the century Cup which delayed the results - but you are left in the dark as to the nature of the "glitch"!

A new departure is the listing of the winners of the Major competitions in the minutes of the AGM which has simplifed keeping a record of past winners.

The annual Charity Night was held on 30th November in aid of the St Vincent de Paul. Again the table money was £ 5 and  a raffle was also held.

There is still a "Tea List" which was run on an alphabethical manner and which ensured that all able members took their turn. MOnica Brady tooki responsability to ensure the smooth running of the list.

Question: did the Tea List include the male members or was it deemed that they could not be trusted to make the tea?

Presidents: Dawn GETHINGS and Marie KIDNEY
 

By all accounts, the club was being run in an efficent and businesslike manner or else the minutes from 1999 do not tell the whole story.

The number of members was reported as 112 paid-up members in March and 5 new members were accepted  at a reduced fee of £ 5 for the rest of the season. Later in the year, another 4 new members were accepted so the club was thriving and attracting new members.

The club made payments to the Greystones Bridge Centre of £ 1,000 and a smaller payment of £ 150 was made towards the new CBAI headquarters in Templeogue.

The annual Charity Night was held on 25th November in aid of the St Vincent de Paul. As well as the table money was £ 5, a raffle was also held and altogether £ 1,000 was raised on the night.

Does anyone remember the Millenium party?

Presidents: Minella SEERY and Dawn GETHINGS

The minutes from 1998 indicate that the year passed without any great mishaps. There was a concern of the getting new Tournament Directors and training them - so nothing new there!

It was decided at a meeting in February 1998 to only accept new members of Grade B and upwards. This does not appear to have effected the numbers and there were a number of new members accepted during the year.

Another topic was the Standby List and this was done in alphabetical order with exemptions for those who lived some distance from the Centre.

The Membership and Fixture List Card was changed to include members' names and telephone numbers. There were on-going questions about the difficulty in knowing who was or was not a paid-up member of the Bridge Centre.

Anther item in the minutes cover the successful Fashion Show which was held in October conjointly with the Errigal Bridge Club. St Crispin's share of the profits came to £ 318.50 but no mention in the minutes of the colour of the dresses or size of the hats!

Presidents: Grace BRINDLEY and Minella SEERY

The committee meeting minutes in 1997 were held very regulaly once a month. The minutes of the first half of the year mentioned the Cookery Demonstration but did not go into any great details of the contents of the evening but it seemingly was a great success but financially and socially. Does anyone remember the dishes?

The membership held steady at around 110 and there was a waiting list with a few new members accepted during the year.

The minutes of the AGM held on 15th May 1997 record that President Grace Brindley presented the "Player of the Year" to the winner Anne Cavanagh who was the first recipient of this trophy. Anne must have been very pleased with the evening as later she was duly elected as a committee member. I'm not suggesting that the two events are connected but be careful if you win the "Player of the Year" trophy!

The end of the year was occupied by discussion about the Charity Night which seems to have included a "Guess the Weight" of a large Christmas cake . Apparently, the cake was too big to fit in the hamper - who won the raffle and what was the weight of the cake?

The Christmas Party was held on 27th November - no complaints about it being too early are recorded in the minutes and the entertainment on the night included a game of Bingo. Finally, the hard working committee finished the year with a meeting on 17th December.

Presidents: Brenda LANGAN and Grace BRINDLEY

The minutes of 1996 recorded two events from the summer of 1996 but in the sparcest of detail. How I would have liked to have more information on these events. Perhaps someone could let me have some more details ...

It must have been a great honour to host an event such as the CBAI v NIBU particularly in the light of events at the time. In any case, the event was a success and St Crispin's was thanked by all concerned.

Was this the reason that the minutes of the committee meeting of 24th October feature the first mention of St Crispin's hosting the Century Cup Bridge Centre competition. THis is the only Handicapped Pairs competition run by the Bridge centre and is still hosted by St Crispin's every November.

Presidents: Yvonne O'DOHERTYand Brenda LANGAN

The year went by without any difficulties being recorded in the committee minutes. The Club was run very efficently and successfully by the two Presidents  - Yvonne O'Doherty up to the AGM in May and Brenda Langan thereafter.

Obviously, the finances were very well managed and a large donation was made to the Bridge Centre at the end of the year. If only Minella had been named as Finance Minister, we might have avoided the Boom and Bust years of the 2000s!

One item did catch my eye - at the AGM on May 18, the question of acquiring a Club President's Board was raised by a member and Minella reported that enquiries were under way and that one would be ordered in due course - no doubt the supplier was to be beaten down on price and conditions.

At the end of the 5th year of existence, the members of the committee were

Brenda Langan - President

Grace Brindley - Vice-President

Rita Gahan - Tournament Director

Minella Seery - Hon Treasurer

Dawn Gethings - Hon Secretary

Yvonne O'Doherty, Martin Rahill and Miriam Bourke

Presidents: Jimmy WHOOLEY and Yvonne O'DOHERTY

The move to the Bridge Centre was obviously very successful as shown in the membership numbers. This was also reflected in the finances of the club and it was able to make donations to the Bridge Centre fund during the year.

At one meeting, Sean McKone reports that the bar profits were up 70% on the previous year whilst the Tea & Coffee were up 30% - I'm not sure what this has to say about Ireland in the 1990s, if anything.

At the AGM on May 19th Diane Reynolds and Jimmy Whooley stood down and were replaced by Dawn Gethings and Miriam Bourke.

The acquiring and training of TDs was an ongoing task then as it is now. The TD had to calculate the results manually from the hand-written travelling score sheets. There was a certain amount of excitement as you waited to see if you had done well when the results were announced the following week. Quite different from today, when the results are available on the night and can be reviewed in all their detail before going to sleep!

In recognition of the work done by Eoin McNeill in getting the Bridge Centre built and up and running, a plaque was erected in his honour. Each of the constituent Bridge Clubs were asked to contribute towards the cost and St Crispin's donated £ 50.

Do you often walk past the plaque without noticing it? The next time you are in the Bridge Centre, stop and whisper a short "Thank you" to Eoin and all those who made it possible.

Presidents: Rita GAHAN and Jimmy WHOOLEY

The continuing success of the club was attested by the waiting list of 12 prospective new members which came up for discussion February 1993 and therafter throughout the year.

However, the main topic of discussion was the decision to join the Greystones Bridge Centre. There was much discussion about the cost, the advantages and disadvantages of joining the Bridge Centre which was expected to open in the autumn. The motions shown on the left were presented at the AGM on May 20th and after much discussion and questions from members, a vote was taken by a show of hands and the motion to join the Bridge Centre was accepted.

This decision brought further actions as the club now became involved in the mighty fund-raising efforts which were underway to ensure that the Bridge Centre was adequately financed and supplied with all the materials necessary to function correctly.The club made donations towards the Bridge Centre from its accumulated funds and by raising the table money from £ 1.50 to £ 2 from 1st January 1994.

Towards the end of the year, the secretary, Grace Brindley, was asked to write to Liam Byrne of the Burnaby notifying him of the impending departure and thanking them for their cooperation and help during the past three years.

Thus closed the opening years of St Crispin's as it embarked on a bright new future in the Greystones Bridge Centre

Presidents: Liam BYRNE and Rita GAHAN

      Some other notable events recorded during this year were

      the adoption of the Constitution of the Club at an Extraodinary General Meeting held on February 27th 1992

      the prize money was extended to 3rd prize on nights when there were more than 8 tables - prize money was to be £ 2, £ 1.50 and £ 1

      the success of the club attracted new members and at the last committee meeting of the year in November 1992, it was decided to close the membership and institute a waiting list

      Yvonne O'Doherty agreed to train as TD

      Diane Reynolds was adopted to the committee in October 1992

President: Liam BYRNE

The minutes of St Crispin's Bridge Club opens with these lines and it is with these words we begin our journey through the history of St Crispin's Bridge Club as recorded in the official minutes of the club. As with all minutes, often what is left out is as important as what is written down but I hope you enjoy the trip as we make our way from 1991 to 2016, our Silver Jubilee year.

At the second meeting on Thursday 21st February it was decided by a majority vote to name the club "St Crispin's Bridge Club". The minutes record there were 39 members in the club.An annual subscription of £ 6 was agreed which included a charge of £1 for membership of the CBAI.

The following months saw the preparation of the constitution which was the subject of much discussion and was only finally adopted in February 1992 but that's getting ahead of ourselve.

Also in 1991, the club was approached and asked to consider joining the Greystones Bridge Centre which was in the process of being developed. The club continued to meet in the Burnaby Hotel amidst discussion of the pros and cons of moving to the new centre in Victoria Road.

The minutes of Thursday 25th November 1991 note that "It was suggested by John Fenton that we should have a Stand By list placed on the Notice Board - one name for each night. This was agreed" - plus ca change...

Finally, a "Fun Night" was held on Thursday 12th December 1991 and the proceeds were donated to the St Vincent de Paul Society thus beginning a charity night tradition which continues to this day.