Welcome to BADMINTON MUSEUM OF IRELAND.

The purpose of the Badminton Museum of Ireland is to preserve the great heritage of Irish Badminton and to make the general badminton public aware of it.

 

It is very nice when cooperation between bodies interested in the same subject brings about a pleasing outcome. A case in point is the good relations which Badminton Museum Ireland has with Badminton England Museum.

In doing research on the English team that played in the first ever International Geoff Hinder contacted Auriol Earle who is the niece of Muriel Lucas. Whilst returning items to Mrs. Earle her husband, Eric, said he felt that there was some Badminton information in the attic. It transpired that he had the original Minute Book and some correspondence of Owenass Badminton Club Mountmellick, going back to the early 1930s. Geoff immediately indicated that this would be of interest to the people involved in Badminton Museum Ireland. Eric’s father was a bank official based in Mountmellick at the time. Amazingly it also transpires that Frank Peard’s father and Frank himself were shown to be members of the club. Eric visited Dublin recently and at a little gathering hosted by Frank and Sue Peard these items were formally over to Vivien Hood and Dick O’Rafferty on behalf of Badminton Museum Ireland.

There are a number of interesting points in the article shown in Historical. Ailesbury and Pembroke, two of the top clubs lost their hall in Camden Row, Dublin. Next season both clubs will be good tenants of Leinster Branch for 50 years. Perhaps they might be given some concessions for long service!!!

That was a fantastic group of players who played in exhibition mentioned. A word of explanation to younger people in relation to the wood rule mentioned. It was a fault if the shuttle was hit with the (wooden) frame of the racket. At club level this imposed a big demand for honesty on the part of the player whilst it made an umpires job very difficult. Mainly because the sound of a wood shot could not be detected in the noisy arenas of the Far East the wood rule was removed.

Another matter no longer with us is Jack Mortons Circus. This was really a show put on by Ireland’s top players to show some of the basics of the game in an extremely entertaining way. It could only be carried off by players of superb ability and attitude.

The Gallery shows Ireland’s winning Helvetia Cup team. It is hard to believe that this triumph took place almost 30 years ago. Good memories!

Dick O’Rafferty, Curator, Badminton Museum of Ireland