Bank of Ireland Bowling Club

Club Formation

At a meeting held in Bank of Ireland,  2 College Green on 13^th March 1979 the Bank of Ireland B.C. was founded. The officers appointed at that original meeting were

President                                 R.F. (Dick) Butler

Vice President                         L.F. (Laurence)  Lynch

Hon. Secretary                       A.G. (Arthur) Hamilton

Hon. Treasurer                        R. (Ronnie) Osborne.

Messrs. Michael Holland and Stan Green both of Leinster B.C. attended the inaugural meeting as guests and provided invaluable information and advice in relation to the establishment of the Club. 

Later that year (Dec.) the Club formally applied to the Bowling League of Ireland for Membership. Home matches were to be played on a Green at Knockrabo, Mount Anville Road, Goatstown. These were sports grounds recently acquired at the time by Bank of Ireland from the Dublin Gas Co. and comprised changing rooms, Football pitches, Tennis courts, Pitch & Putt and the aforementioned Bowling Green. Mr. Hugh Egan was elected as the first BoI Club Captain in 1980. For many years the Club fielded teams in BLI Leagues at both Div. 3 and Div. 5 level.

In 1990 the Club affiliated a Ladies team with the Ladies Bowling League of Ireland.  Key members associated with this initiative at the time included Kathleen Maume, Joy Manning, Beda Murphy, Jennie Moore and Anne Brophy.  

BLI and ILBA Presidency

In 1991 Club member Brendan O’Malley assumed the role of President, Bowling League of Ireland.  Some years later (2006) Brendan was elected to the office of President , Irish Lawn Bowling Association.

Mike Brophy, Dun Laoghaire B.C., a former member (and Captain) of the BoI Club was also elected to the office of President , Irish Lawn Bowling Association in 2018.

Move to Railway Union Sports Club

In 2000, for commercial reasons,  the Bank decided to dispose of the Knockrabo Sports Grounds and alternate Sport and Social arrangements for staff and retirees were put in place. These arrangements involved the Bank taking up Corporate Membership for a 15 year period (renewed for a few additional years on an ‘ad-hoc’ basis) with Railway Union Sports Club. And so the BoI Bowling Club ‘upped sticks’ from Knockrabo and moved to Railway Union where it played its home matches for the next 20 years.

Move to Kenilworth B.C. Grosvenor Square

In 2020 following conclusion of the Bank of Ireland Corporate Membership arrangement with Railway Union Sports Club, the Bank of Ireland B.C. committee undertook a detailed review of its options for the future and chose to join Kenilworth B.C. The KBC Committee agreed with BoI Club that the Club would bowl in League competitions as ‘Bank of Ireland Bowling Club’ but for all other purposes members would participate in KBC activities as full members. The late Pat Tallon, former President of KBC was instrumental in facilitating the arrival and integration of the ’new KBC’ members.

Since our arrival into Grosvenor Square, BoI Club has bowled its home matches on the Kenilworth grass green. In 2021, on the resumption of bowling in the immediate aftermath of Covid, the Club fielded a team in Div. 4 of the Bowling League of Ireland. With the approval of the BLI, the Club was permitted field a number of Kenilworth players under the banner of Bank of Ireland Bowling Club. This arrangement helped with the speedy and successful integration of both sets of players under the new membership arrangement;  it also helped the BoI Club re-establish itself as a viable Bowling Club following the move from Railway Union grounds  and against the backdrop of society’s recovery from Covid.

Ongoing Integration

Since our move, two BoI Club members have undertaken key roles within the Kenilworth B.C structure.  Pat Firth undertakes the role of Child Protection Officer for both Clubs while Vincent Fagan is tasked with responsibility as Convenor for Memberships.

Social Bowling

In Winter 2022 the BoI Club launched a Social Bowling Tournament, open to all members of Kenilworth and BoI BCs to be played over a 10 week period on ‘carpet’. The idea being that participants would get to know one another socially in a mildly competitive environment;  it would also afford an opportunity for i)BoI Club members to become much more familiar with ‘carpet bowling’  and ii) for beginners to become familiar with the rules and etiquette of the game.

Forty one players participated in the first Tournament, these numbers have grown to 67 in the most recent iteration of the event.  The Tournament is now a key activity for the BoI Club and is run annually both in the Spring and Winter.  The Tournament has already established itself as a popular feature in the social life of Kenilworth B.C.  Key individuals (past and present) associated with running the event are Gerry Gibson, Michael Watson, Tom Caldwell, Pat Collins, the late Pat Tallon, Peter Keegan and Graham Walsh. 

Social Bowling Tournament Winners

2022    Winter              Mike Hayes, BoI BC

2023    Spring              Joel Eluk, BoI BC

2023    Winter              Ronnie Hanlon, KBC

2024    Spring              Paul Griffin, KBC

2024    Winter              tbc

Honorary Life Member

2017                                        Gerard Maume

Current Bank of Ireland B.C. Officers (2024)

President                                 Mike Hayes

Hon. Secretary                       David Farrelly

Hon. Treasurer                        Michael Watson

Captain                                    Gerry Gibson.