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Irish Real Tennis News
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| IRTA at inter-club tournament,
Leamington and Moreton Morrell |
| October, 2024 |
| Many thanks to the hosts and organisers of this excellent weekend of tennis. The
IRTA team came tantalisingly close to victory in many games. |
| Launch of website
for Jeu de Paume Bayonne Pays Basque |
| October, 2024 |
| The Euskal Real Tennis club aims to promote real tennis (jeu
de paume) in the Bayonne area. It has recently launched its website, and would
welcome contact from players or other enthusiasts. |
| Results of 2024 Closed championship |
| September, 2024 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Magnus Garson and doubles
champions Simon Cripps and Roland Budd! Many thanks to Cambridge for hosting us. |
| Results of 2024 Open championship |
| June, 2024 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Laura Neill and doubles
champions Laura Neill and Mark Heffernan! Many thanks to Radley for hosting an
excellent event. |
| IRTA long weekend trip:
Leamington,
Moreton Morrell,
The Oratory |
| April, 2024 |
| Many thanks to the three clubs who hosted this extended weekend of tennis. |
| An
Bord Pleanála decision on planning application |
| April, 2024 |
| Permission was granted for an application proposing to
incorporate Dublin’s Real Tennis Court into a Children’s Science Centre. The decision
imposes a four-part condition relating to the Real Tennis Court. |
| IRTA vs Wellington Real Tennis Club |
| March, 2024 |
| Many thanks to Wellington Real Tennis Club for welcoming the IRTA
for its first visit to this relatively new club. Congratulations to our hosts for their
3–2 victory! |
| Celtic Challenge: IRTA vs Scotland |
| March, 2024 |
| The IRTA won this, the sixth Celtic Challenge, by 871 points to
816. Many thanks to our hosts Radley, to organiser Maggie Henderson-Tew, and to sponsors
Pol Roger and Tunnock's. |
| IRTA at Jesmond Dene RTC |
| January, 2024 |
| Many thanks to all at Jesmond Dene for welcoming an IRTA team. At the end
of an enjoyable weekend of tennis, the IRTA emerged the victors by 13 games to 7. |
| Brigands doubles tournament |
| September, 2023 |
| Many thanks to Hardwick House for welcoming IRTA pair Roland Budd
and Jack Woods for the 2023 Brigands event. The IRTA pair narrowly missed out on
progressing beyond the group stage, but were glad of an enjoyable day of tennis all
the same. |
| Results of 2023 Closed championship |
| August, 2023 |
| Congratulations to singles champion
Mikey Hennessy, and to doubles champions Mikey Hennessy and Roy
Rogers! On the Sunday, the IRTA emerged the victors 8–6 in
the fixture against our hosts. Many thanks to all at
Cambridge for welcoming us. |
| Results of 2023 Open championship |
| June, 2023 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Roland Budd and doubles
champions Richard Ramjane and Laura Neill! Many thanks to Radley for hosting an
excellent event. |
| Fixture: IRTA vs Jesmond Dene |
| January, 2023 |
| The IRTA enjoyed a weekend of tennis at Jesmond Dene, UK, in a very close fixture
which Jesmond Dene won 10 matches to 9. Many thanks to our hosts. |
| Planning application affecting Dublin court |
| October, 2022 |
| Ireland's Office of Public Works has submitted a planning
application, along very similar lines to the one submitted in 2016, to build a Science
Museum incorporating the Real Tennis Court building. The IRTA has submitted an
observation. |
| Results of 2022 Closed championship |
| August, 2022 |
| Congratulations to champion Roland Budd, and many thanks to all
at Cambridge for hosting an excellent event. |
| Results of 2022 Open championship |
| June, 2022 |
| Congratulations to Singles Champion Jeremy Garson and to Doubles
Champions Laszlo Garson and Richard Ramjane. Many thanks to all at Radley who
welcomed the IRTA for this year's event. |
| IRTA wins Celtic Challenge |
| March, 2022 |
| Many thanks to Radley for hosting an excellent event. |
| IRTA v The Haphazards |
| March, 2022 |
| Many thanks to our hosts at Hardwick House. |
| Brigands doubles tournament |
| October, 2021 |
| Mark Heffernan and Rupert Derham represented the IRTA in this
enjoyable event. Many thanks to the hosts and organisers. |
| Death of Mike Bolton |
| February, 2021 |
| We are greatly saddened to report the death of Mike Bolton, one of
the founders of the Irish Real Tennis Association, and offer our condolences to his family
and friends. |
| Scots win third Celtic Challenge |
| March, 2020 |
| Radley kindly hosted the third Celtic Challenge, which went to the Scottish side — congratulations! |
| Fixture: IRTA vs Jesmond Dene |
| January, 2020 |
| The IRTA enjoyed a weekend of tennis at Jesmond Dene, UK, in a fixture which saw the hosts triumph 9 matches to 4. |
| ’A Manual for the Apprentice of the Game of Real Tennis’ in English |
| October, 2019 |
| IRTA member Alastair has translated this classic book into English, and it is now available from Ronaldson Publications. |
| Brigands doubles tournament |
| September, 2019 |
| Stuart Kerr and Mark Maclure faced significant handicap differences in their group; nonetheless an enjoyable day of tennis. Many thanks to the hosts and organisers. |
| Results of 2019 Closed championship |
| September, 2019 |
| Congratulations to Irish champion James Rossiter! Many thanks to Prested Hall
for hosting an excellent event. |
| Fixture: IRTA vs MCC |
| July, 2019 |
| Many thanks to MCC for welcoming the IRTA to Lord's for this event, which
ended in a 3–3 draw. |
| Fixture: IRTA vs Hatfield House |
| July, 2019 |
| Many thanks to Hatfield House for welcoming the IRTA for this event, which
ended with a 4–1 win for the IRTA. |
| Results of 2019 Open championship |
| June, 2019 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Henry Henman and doubles
champions Richard Ramjane and James Rossiter! Many thanks to Radley for hosting an
excellent event. |
| Court status report number 12 |
| May, 2019 |
| We summarise the current situation with the Dublin Real Tennis Court. |
| Fixture: IRTA vs Bristol RTC |
| April, 2019 |
| Many thanks to Bristol for welcoming us back. |
| IRTA wins second Celtic Challenge |
| March, 2019 |
| Radley hosted a return of the Celtic Challenge, which was a decisive win for the Irish side. |
| IRTA trip to Jesmond Dene |
| January, 2019 |
| Many thanks to Jesmond Dene for hosting a successful weekend of tennis, where the IRTA earned
a 6–5 victory over our host club. |
| IRTA fixture vs Middlesex University |
| November, 2018 |
| Well done to our hosts MURTC for their 5–3 victory! |
| IRTA pair reaches semi-final of Brigands tournament |
| September, 2018 |
| Congratulations to Stuart Kerr and Mark Maclure for reaching the semi-final of the annual event for peripatetic clubs. Many thanks to Hardwick House for hosting a great weekend of tennis. |
| Results of 2018 Closed championship |
| September, 2018 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Roland Budd, and to doubles champions Roland Budd and James Rossiter! |
| Results of 2018 Open championship |
| June, 2018 |
| Congratulations to singles champion James Rossiter, and to doubles champions Roland Budd and Harry O'Sullivan! |
| Irish team wins inaugural Celtic Challenge! |
| March, 2018 |
| The inaugural Celtic Challenge match was held at Radley on Sunday 4th March, and after a day of very enjoyable tennis, the Irish team emerged victorious. Many thanks to all involved in organising the event. |
| IRTA fixture vs The Haphazards, Hardwick House, UK |
| March, 2018 |
| In a very close match, The Haphazards triumphed over the IRTA. Many thanks to our hosts and to the organisers. |
| IRTA pair takes part in Brigands tournament |
| September, 2017 |
| The IRTA were defeated at the semi-final stage by the eventual champions, the LRTA. Many thanks to Hardwick House for hosting a great weekend of tennis. |
| Results of 2017 Closed championship |
| September, 2017 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Rupert Derham, and to doubles champions Richard Ramjane and David Lowry! |
| Article on real tennis in Irish Independent |
| July, 2017 |
| Max McLean summarises the history of the game, and how it has been growing steadily in recent years. |
| Results of 2017 Open championship |
| June, 2017 |
| Congratulations to singles champion Christopher Edgington and to doubles champions Mark Maclure and David Lowry! |
| IRTA fixture vs The Haphazards, Hardwick House, UK |
| March, 2017 |
| The IRTA emerged victorious in this friendly fixture vs The Haphazards.
Many thanks to our hosts and to the organisers. |
| IRTA fixture at Jesmond Dene, UK |
| November, 2016 |
| Ten years after our first visit, a group
of IRTA visitors were warmly welcomed back to Jesmond Dene for a
fixture. |
| IRTA pair plays in Brigands tournament |
| October, 2016 |
| IRTA pair Rupert Derham and Rustom Manecksha took part in this year's Brigands
tournament for peripatetic clubs. Many thanks to hosts Hardwick House. |
| Results of 2016 Closed Championships
| | September, 2016 |
| Congratulations to champion Roland Budd! |
| Results of 2016 Open Championships
| | June, 2016 |
| Congratulations to champion Derek O’Sullivan! |
| IRTA's 2012 Business Plan
| | May, 2016 |
| The IRTA is now (May 2016) publishing this 2012 document, which
up to now has had limited circulation, on its website, to give
background and context to the work it was doing at an earlier stage
of discussions with the OPW. As the document itself notes (§3,
p.6), some parts are no longer current. Nonetheless we hope it will
be of interest. |
| Urgent:
Planning Application affecting Dublin Real Tennis Court
| | March, 2016 |
| Ireland’s Office of Public Works (OPW) has sought
permission for the development of a Children’s Science Museum at a large site
which includes Dublin’s real tennis court. Please consider submitting an
observation to Dublin City Council before the deadline of Thursday 31st
March. Less than 2 weeks left! |
| Historical
(1747) reference to Tennis Court in Wicklow
| | March, 2016 |
| A 'to let' notice in the Dublin Journal of 31 January,
1747 refers to a farm near Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow having 'two profitable Gardens
one of them walled in with a large Tennis-Court'. Thanks to David Best for bringing this
to our attention. |
| Brigands 2015 tournament results
| | September, 2015 |
| IRTA pair Roland Budd and Jack Woods were
unbeaten, but failed to progress from group stage. Maybe next year! |
| Results of 2015 Closed Championships
| | September, 2015 |
| Congratulations to champion Chris Herbert! |
| Results of 2015 Open Championships
| | June, 2015 |
| Congratulations to champion Emmanuel Joffrin! |
| Visit to Hardwick House
| | April, 2015 |
| IRTA members made a visit to Hardwick House and The Oratory over
the weekend of 11–12 April, 2015, and were also given the opportunity to try the game of 'Fives' |
| Results of 2014 Closed Championships
| | September, 2014 |
| Congratulations to champion Roland Budd! |
| IRTA reaches
semi-final of Brigands tournament
| | September, 2014 |
| Congratulations to IRTA pair David Keane and Derek O’Sullivan,
who reached the semi-final stage of the 2014 Brigands doubles tournament for peripatetic clubs! |
| Trip to Middlesex University Real
Tennis Club
| | June, 2014 |
| A group of Irish newcomers to real tennis, albeit proficient in other racket
sports, enjoyed an introductory session at MURTC. |
| International Tennis Day
| | June, 2014 |
| Two real tennis bodies in the USA are
organising an annual event to raise the profile of real tennis.
The IRTA took part by displaying a banner outside the Dublin
court. |
| Results of 2014 Open Championships
| | June, 2014 |
| Congratulations to champion Kevin Sammon
and doubles winners Richard Ramjane and David Lowry! |
| Return fixture:
IRTA vs Biarritz, France
| | April, 2014 |
| The IRTA was delighted to be invited back to France, where this time
the IRTA team won 3–2. Many thanks for our hosts for a very enjoyable trip. (Pictures
to follow.) |
| Fixture:
IRTA vs Holyport
| | February, 2014 |
| Many thanks to Holyport for welcoming us
back for an excellent weekend's tennis. |
| Fixture:
IRTA vs Prested Hall
| | December, 2013 |
| The IRTA returned to Prested Hall, with
its two courts, over a weekend in early December, and enjoyed a busy
programme of tennis against the locals. |
| IRTA
pair retains Brigands title
| | September, 2013 |
| Congratulations to IRTA pair Roland Budd
and David Keane, who won the 2013 Brigands doubles tournament
for peripatetic clubs! |
| Results of 2013 Irish Closed Championships
| | September, 2013 |
| Congratulations to Irish champion Rupert Derham! |
| Results of
2013 Open Championships
| | June, 2013 |
| Congratulations to Open champion Fin Ramjane! |
| Short
film: Anyone for real tennis?
| | May, 2013 |
| Film-maker Philip Fulham directed and edited a
short film about Dublin’s Real Tennis court, including some
interview footage with IRTA member David Lowry. |
| Some
old photos from the IRTA archives
| | May, 2013 |
| Some scanned-in photos from the IRTA
archives, showing the IRTA's replica half-court at The Point, and
the Earlsfort Terrace court, around the year 2000. |
| Fixture:
IRTA vs MURTC ‘Rest of World’
| | April, 2013 |
| The IRTA enjoyed another excellent visit to
the Middlesex University Real Tennis Club, drawing 3–3
with the host team. |
| Fixture:
IRTA vs Biarritz, France
| | March, 2013 |
| The IRTA team was outplayed by the host
team in an unusual court, but the trip was an enjoyable experience
nonetheless. International interest in the Dublin court was as
strong as ever. |
| Dublin
University Squash Rackets Club trip to Paris
| | December, 2012 |
| The Irish group enjoyed a lesson and matches as part of a squash trip to Paris. |
| Fixture: IRTA vs Prested Hall
| | November, 2012 |
| An enjoyable weekend of tennis — many
thanks to our hosts and the organisers! |
| IRTA
pair wins 2012 Brigands tournament!
| | September, 2012 |
| Congratulations to IRTA pair Roland Budd
and Rupert Derham, who won the 2012 Brigands doubles tournament
for peripatetic clubs! |
| Results of
Irish Closed and Open Championships, 2012
| | June/September, 2012 |
| Congratulations to Irish champion Roland
Budd and to Open champion David Lowry! |
| Trip
to MURTC and The Queen’s Club
| | April, 2012 |
| A group of IRTA members travelled to
Middlesex University Real Tennis Club and The Queen’s Club.
Pictures now available; full report to follow. |
| Tennis
in Ireland by David Best
| | February, 2012 |
| Real tennis historian David Best has
researched the history of the sport in Ireland in great depth, and
has written an extensive article on his findings. The earliest
mention of real tennis in Ireland dates back to 1361! |
| Launch
of book on Irish sporting history: Places We Play
| | October, 2011 |
| A new book on Irish sporting
history, Places We Play — Ireland’s Sporting
Heritage (Mike Cronin & Roisín Higgins), had its
launch event in the real tennis court. The IRTA had a presence,
and our campaign generated a good amount of interest from those
attending. |
| April, 2012 |
| Updated with an excerpt from the book's
introduction. |
| Dublin
court used as venue for art exhibition
| | October, 2011 |
| IRTA member Mark Heffernan reports, with
photos, on a recent visit to the Dublin court. |
| 2011 Closed Championships results |
| September, 2011 |
| Congratulations to Irish Champion Roland Budd. |
| Brigands
Doubles Tournament for Peripatetic Clubs |
| September, 2011 |
| The IRTA entered a pair in this
tournament, reaching the semi-finals. |
| 2011 Open Championships results |
| July, 2011 |
| Congratulations to Open Champion Maggie Henderson-Tew. |
| Real
Tennis in the Courts — Human Rights in Ireland |
| June, 2011 |
| David Keane writes on the Human
Rights in Ireland site, arguing for the importance of the
Dublin real tennis court from a
cultural rights perspective. |
| Report
on 1890 World Championships, The Speaker |
| April, 2011 |
| IRTA member and historian of real tennis
Brian Rich brought this article, reporting on the World
Championship match between Pettit (defending) and Saunders
(challenger) to our attention. |
| Trip
to Bristol and Bath Tennis Club |
| February, 2011 |
| A group of IRTA players travelled to
B&BTC, and were joined by IRTA members from the UK for a
successful weekend of tennis. |
| 1998 article from Irish Times available |
| December, 2010 |
| IRTA member David Lowry brought to our
attention an Irish Times article from 1998, covering the early
days of the IRTA’s campaign. |
| The Brigands tournament |
| September, 2010 |
| The IRTA pair, Mark Heffernan and Roland
Budd, reached the final of this tournament for peripatetic
clubs. |
| Trip to Paris |
| June, 2010 |
| David Lowry and fellow cycling
enthusiasts played on the Paris and Fontainebleau courts during a recent trip
to Paris. |
| 2010 Championships results |
| June, 2010 |
| Congratulations to Irish Champion Roland
Budd, and to Open Champion David Lowry. |
| 120th anniversary of World Championships |
| June, 2010 |
| In 1890, the World Championships for
Real Tennis were played in the Dublin court. |
| IRTA and Dublin University Squash
Rackets Club trip to Oxford, UK |
| January, 2010 |
| IRTA members David Lowry and Alvar
Soosar organised some time and lessons on the Oxford real tennis
court for members of the DUSRC squad. |
| Historical article from The Irish
Times available |
| January, 2010 |
| The Irish Times of
8 December, 1948, carried an article discussing the
possibility of reviving Real Tennis in Dublin. |
| 2009 Championships results |
| May, 2009 |
| Congratulations to Irish Champion Stuart
Baxter, and to Open Champion Mark Heffernan! |
| Trip to Leamington and Moreton Morrell |
| May, 2009 |
| Stephen Kelly reports on a successful
and enjoyable trip to Leamington Spa and Moreton Morrell clubs. |
| Copy of article in The Dubliner magazine |
| May, 2009 |
| The March, 2008 issue of The
Dubliner magazine contained a very positive article on our
progress towards restoration of the Dublin court. |
| Call for entrants for 2009 Championships |
| April, 2009 |
| To be held on Saturday 30th and Sunday
31st May, at Middlesex University Real Tennis Club. |
| 2009 AGM |
| April, 2009 |
| Please contact us if you would like a copy of the minutes. |
| Tennis mentioned in Dublin Historical Record |
| January, 2009 |
| The article 'Two Hundred Men at
Tennis' appeared in Vol. LXI of the Dublin Historical
Record, and included many mentions of tennis. |
| 2008 Championships |
| June, 2008 |
| Congratulations to Irish Champion Roland
Budd and to Open Champion Mark Heffernan! |
| IRTA tour of south-west England |
| April, 2008 |
| A busy weekend took IRTA members to Canford, Bristol and Bath, and The Hyde. |
| 2008 AGM |
| March, 2008 |
| Please contact us if you would like a copy of the minutes. |
| The 1890 World Championships
| | February, 2008 |
| The Dublin court was the venue for the 1890 world real tennis championships.
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| Leaflet with latest news on Dublin Court published |
| February, 2008 |
| Kárlis Zauers produced this brochure, mainly for
distribution at the Tuxedo Club tournament in the USA,
but generally available here. |
| Irish Times article on World Championships (May 1890) available |
| January, 2008 |
| IRTA member David Lowry dug out a microfiche copy of the Irish Times
from May 1890, which contained a report on the first day of play of the World Championships,
held in the Dublin real tennis court. David also transcribed the article for its historical
interest. |
| IRTA trip to Moreton Morrell and the Oratory School |
| December, 2007 |
| A recent trip combined visits to the tennis
courts of Moreton Morrel and the Oratory School. |
| Update on Dublin Court |
| November, 2007 |
| We are delighted to announce that we have been recently in touch
with the Office of Public Works. With University College Dublin
having vacated the building, the Office of Public Works have
indicated that they will work with us to restore the Dublin Real
Tennis Court to play. Discussions between the IRTA and the Office
of Public Works are at a very early stage, but this is definitely a
large step towards achieving our goals. We will publish more news
as it unfolds. Update, August 2011: Unfortunately, the
ongoing economic difficulties have meant that this plan is on hold
with no immediate prospect of revival. We are exploring
alternative routes by which we might restore the court to play. |
| IRTA return to Manchester |
| September, 2007 |
| Members of the IRTA paid a visit to
Manchester, for lessons and also matches against the home team. |
| IRTA in Cambridge |
| July, 2007 |
| New member Stephen Kelly reports on a
trip to Cambridge, which combined introductory coaching with
plenty of match play. |
| 2007 Championship |
| May, 2007 |
| We returned to Bristol and Bath Tennis
Club for our 2007 Championships. Roland Budd again retained his title
as Irish Champion, and also took the Open Doubles Championship,
playing with Kárlis Zauers. A very successful weekend. |
| Article in Trinity News |
| April, 2007 |
| IRTA member David Lowry wrote a piece for
Trinity News introducing the game of real tennis to its readers. |
| IRTA in Manchester |
| April, 2007 |
| A group of IRTA players, both beginners
and more experienced players, went to Manchester for a weekend of
tennis. |
| Joint IRTA / Dublin University Squash Rackets Club trip to Oxford, UK |
| January, 2007 |
| Some of the Irish newcomers to real
tennis are members of Dublin University Squash Rackets Club, and
they took advantage of a DUSRC/Oxford squash match to introduce
some fellow squash players to real tennis at the Oxford Club. |
| Return IRTA trip to Cambridge, UK |
| January, 2007 |
| We were kindly invited back to Cambridge
for a weekend of coaching and play. We also met up with some
members of the Dutch Real Tennis Association. |
| Objection to destruction of Real Tennis court in Scotland |
| January, 2007 |
| We learnt of a planning application to
demolish a real tennis court in Troon, Scotland, and sent an
objection to the relevant authorities. |
| IRTA fixture at Jesmond Dene, UK |
| September, 2006 |
| A group of IRTA players from Ireland went over
to Newcastle, UK, for a very enjoyable weekend of tennis at
Jesmond Dene Real Tennis club. |
| IRTA trip to Cambridge, UK |
| July, 2006 |
| Roland Budd led a group of newcomers to
the game in a trip to the Cambridge club for a weekend of
introductory lessons and play. |
| 2006 Championship winners |
| May, 2006 |
| We were delighted to be back at
Holyport Real Tennis Club for our 2006 Championships. Roland Budd
retained his title as Irish Champion, and Jim Duncan won the
Open Championship. A very successful weekend. |
| Court status update number 11 |
| May, 2006 |
| Ted Neville, secretary of the IRTA,
provides an update on the Dublin court situation. |
| 2006 AGM |
| April, 2006 |
| Please contact us if you would like a copy of the minutes. |
| 2005 Championship winners |
| June, 2005 |
| Our 2005 championships were
kindly hosted by Holyport Real Tennis Club. Roland Budd
emerged as Irish Champion, and Tim Church as Open
Champion. A very enjoyable weekend was had by all. |
| Adventures of an Irish Expatriate: Real Tennis in Ireland |
| June, 2005 |
| Sile Reilly of the United States Court Tennis Preservation
Foundation visited the Dublin court on a recent trip to Ireland. |
| Lost Courts of Ireland: A Report on Dublin’s Famous Marble Court |
| June, 2005 |
| Ted Neville, secretary of the IRTA, wrote an article which
appeared in the April 2002 number of The Dedans, the newsletter of
the United States Court Tennis Association. |
| 2005 AGM |
| March, 2005 |
| We held a fruitful AGM on
5 March, in facilities kindly provided, as last year,
by Trinity College, Dublin. Please contact us if you would like a
copy of the minutes. |
| IRTA vs Moreton Morrell |
| January, 2005 |
| A team of IRTA members
converged on Moreton Morrell to play a fixture over the
weekend of 15–16 January. The doubles play produced very enjoyable
tennis, and it was also an opportunity to meet and
socialise with the Moreton Morrell membership. |
| 2004 Championship winners |
| Updated: October, 2004 |
| A very successful weekend was
hosted by the Bristol and Bath Tennis Club, where
Alastair MacKeown became Irish Champion, and Nick Ponsford
Open Champion. Pictures now available. |
| Engravings from Victorian English publication The Graphic (1890) |
| June, 2004 |
| IRTA member Brian Rich discovered a page of engravings published shortly after the 1890 World Tennis
Championships were held in the Dublin court. |
| IRTA plans 2004 Championships |
| April, 2004 |
| After the success of our 2003 event, we are delighted to
have been invited back to the Bristol and Bath Tennis Club
for our 2004 tournament. |
IRTA's 2004 AGM
Updated: February, 2004
We held our 2004 AGM in the Luce Sports Centre, in
Trinity College, Dublin. We are very grateful to Trinity
College for allowing us to use their facilities for our
meeting, and to everybody who attended.
Journalists from the Sunday Tribune
interviewed IRTA secretary Ted Neville, and
the
campaign to have the Dublin court restored featured in an
article on page 6 of the 22 Feb Sunday
Tribune.
Proposal for new Real Tennis court in Perth, Australia
February, 2004
Although a long way from Ireland, this is worthy of
mention here because it shows the strengthening in
popularity of the game worldwide. A Perth businessman is
proposing to convert a hall contained within an old
hospital into a real tennis court. See
the
ongoing reports on the real tennis online website for more
details on this exciting development.
| The ‘Lost’ Court of Cumberland Island |
| January, 2004 |
| Dennis McCarthy, an IRTA member
living and working in Atlanta, Georgia, writes about a
"lost and found" squash tennis court, and the
analogies to the situation of the Dublin real tennis
court. |
First issue of IRTA newsletter available
November, 2003
Issue no. 1 of the IRTA's newsletter is now
available. We hope to produce a newsletter a few times a
year and send it out to members and others who have
expressed an interest. If you would like to receive a paper
copy, please get in touch. It is
also available as a PDF file (650k).
Updated: June, 2003
The IRTA held the first Irish Real Tennis Championship on the
weekend of Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June, 2003.
Because Ireland lacks a playable real tennis court, the event
took place at Bristol and Bath Tennis Club.
IRTA seeks information from Country Life readers
May, 2003
IRTA Committee member John McGrath writes, in the Questions
and Answers section of the May 15
issue of Country Life,
I am a committee member of the Irish Real Tennis
Association and am trying to trace photographs, artefacts and
ephemera of any condition relating to the real tennis court at
Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin. Passing into the ownership of the
Irish government as a present from Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of
Iveagh in 1939, the court has been used from that date as an
engineering laboratory for University College and offices for a
government agency. However, we are aiming to reinstate this
architectural and sporting gem to its original use, as it is
believed to be an outstanding example of its genre. Any
photographs revealing how the interior used to look would be
appreciated --- we have none to date.
If any visitors to this web-site have any photographs or other
material of interest, please get in
touch. Thank you.
World Champion Rob Fahey wishes IRTA luck
March, 2003
On holiday in Australia, two members of the IRTA, Ben and Bear North,
called in to the ever-welcoming Melbourne Royal Tennis Club. The current
world champion, Rob Fahey, is one of the professionals at the club. Rob
has Irish roots, and spent some time with Ben and Bear discussing
current progress with the Dublin court. He sends his regards to the IRTA,
and wishes them luck with their endeavours.
World real tennis champion, Rob Fahey (left), with IRTA member Ben
North on the court at Melbourne Royal Tennis Club recently.
|
|
| IRTA applies for
Irish Sports Council recognition |
| Ongoing, last updated February, 2003 |
| The IRTA is seeking recognition by the Irish
Sports Council, as the National Governing Body of Sport for the
sport of Real Tennis. |
|