Irvinestown Lawn Tennis Club
(ILTC) was founded in 1991, in 1996 the club developed a site at
the Bawnacre Centre and now boast one of the top tennis facilities
in Ireland.
Success both on and off the courts has been great, having won many
Western League titles, development of suberb tennis facilities,
Ulster squad junior / veteran players, singles and doubles winners
in various Championships, hosting of a junior All-Ireland Inter-pro
series, Annual Fermanagh Senior, Junior and Veterans Championships,
fully qualified tennis Ireland coaches plus Race Days and Summer
Ball.
Membership ranges from 5yrs to 60+ with a wide range of activities
and coaching.
We are located at the Bawnacre Centre, Irvinestown- a unique Leisure, Youth and Community Centre in Co. Fermanagh. The tennis courts can be hired by members/non members by booking through the Bawnacre Centre on 028 6862 1177. Adult - £7.00 Child - £3.50
St Mary's was the first ever team to represent Irvinestown
In 1991 John Maguire and
Michael Duffy took stock of the tennis situation in Fermanagh and a
look at their own future in the game.
They recognised that they had a
lot of enjoyment and camaraderie out of playing the game of tennis
over the years. They wanted to share their love of the game with
others. While reluctant to leave Enniskillen Tennis Club and the
friends they had made there, both realised they had a game to offer
the people of North Fermanagh.
By establishing a club in
Irvinestown they felt they could spread the playing of the game in
the county and provide to solid bases. They foresaw inter club
tennis competitions and friendly nights for those who did not want
to play Western League tennis could enjoy themselves.
With the help of Liam McMulkin
another Forthill Park resident, Irvinestown Lawn Tennis Club was
officially opened on Monday 22nd July 1991 and play started at the
tennis courts hired from St. Marys School. Tennis was played well
into the Autumn.
Over the winter period new
members where drafted into the fledging club. The first team to
represent Irvinestown Lawn Tennis Club in 1992 Western League
competition was: John Maguire, Michael Duffy, John Carleton,
Michael Devanney, Andrea Maguire, Breege McCusker, Liz McCaldin and
Rosin Kelly.
At the AGM in 1992 club sectary
John Maguire expressed his delight with the performance of the team
in the first year of competitive tennis and was happy to report
that the new club had run a successful Open Tournament with over
120 entries. Already the emphasis was on junior couching with five
girls – Maeve McCusker, Ydele Steels, Joanna McCaldin, Colleen
Rooney and Roberta Hamilton being selected to go forward to the
North West Development Squad.
The election of Officers was as
follows: President- Seamus McCusker, Chairman-Liam McMulkin,
Secretary-John Maguire, Treasurer- Michael Duffy, Committee
Members- Rosemary Valentine, Dermot McCann, Pete Keogh, Shirley
Steele, Kate Heaver, Siobhan Allister, Nola Rooney and Breege
McCusker.
With some members already
travelling to other venues with junior competitions it was seen
that the only way to proceed was for the club to get involved in a
coaching strategy. The old way of hitting the ball would no longer
suffice. New skills had to be learned to carry youngsters into the
next millennium.
Invitations were extended to
Roger Geraghty, Tennis Ireland National Development officer and Jim
Watt Ulster Branch Tennis Development office, to visit the club to
outline a development plan for coaching.
In 1994 led by Seamus McCusker
an ambitious and energetic Management committee applied to the
lottery for funding to build our own courts. On a wasteland site at
the Bawnacre Centre, with much forward planning and determined work
by Seamus the funds were awarded and with full backing from the
officers of Fermanagh District Council the courts were layed in
1996 and this became our new home.
With a high increase in
membership the committee saw the need for better facilities, so it
was agreed to go back to the lottery and apply for extra funding to
build our own club house. This again was granted and by 1998 the
Pavilion as we now know it was built.
Since then the Club has went
from strength to strength to where we are today with many titles on
the court coming our way throughout the years and the added bonus
of club members Maeve Mc Cusker & John Maguire representing
Ulster at inter -pro level.