Well done to the more than 250 members who competed this year in the 13th annual Active Retirement Ireland National Bowls Competition at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney. Over three days (18–20 November), 64 four-person Active Retirement bowls teams representing 15 counties competed to take home the cup across the large and small bowls competitions.
The formidable Magpies bowls team from Midleton, Co. Cork were the winners of the large bowls cup — for the third year in a row — after beating runners up Milltown bowls team, Co. Kerry.
Cnoc Bui ‘A’ bowls team of Co. Waterford were the winners of the small bowls cup, with runners up Balyna 1 of Co. Kildare.
The winners of the large bowls plate were Tralee Indoor Bowls Club, pipping the Multy Bowlers of Co. Westmeath.
Blackwater Rocks bowls team from Co. Wexford took home the small bowls plate, with runners up Bennekerry Gold of Co. Carlow.
The 2025 Pat Cussen Prize was awarded to Mike Long of Milltown bowls team who was overwhelmingly voted by his fellow competitors to be the bowler of the tournament who best represented the spirit of the game through their sense of fair play and friendly competition.
Congratulations to all our winners and grand finalists. A big thank you to all teams who took part in the 2025 Active Retirement Ireland National Bowls Competition for helping to make this year’s tournament such a success — there was a fantastic turnout with 17 teams from Kerry, nine from Co Carlow, eight from Co Cork, five from each of counties Galway and Kildare, four from each of counties Waterford and Wexford, three from Co Kilkenny, two from each of counties Dublin and Tipperary, and a team from each of counties Laois, Westmeath, Meath, Sligo and Wicklow.
The competition would not be possible without the generosity, patience and expertise of our wonderful volunteers. Thank you so much to our tournament officials Nancy Hegarty and Nora O’Connor and our umpires Jim McCormack and Jamie Grangle.
We are also grateful to Hidden Hearing Ireland for their generous support for this year’s competition, and to our hosts the fabulous Gleneagle Hotel and staff.