About Dun Laoghaire Bowling Club
Dun Laoghaire Bowling Club (DLBC) was founded in 1965 at Moran Park beside where the Lexicon Library stands near the seafront. Our original green was grass as were all bowling greens at that time.
Our final season in Moran Park was 2011. We then moved to our current location at Eglinton Park in April 2012. Our new green is synthetic so bowling can be enjoyed all year round by our members.
DLBC caters for bowlers of all ages and standards.
We enter teams in both the Irish Lawn Bowls (ILB) Summer and Winter Leagues as well as the associated Cup matches. We have won both the ILB Winter League and the ILB Veterans (over 55) Winter League Trophies for the last two years.
During the Summer season, the ILB also run various championships at both senior and junior level. These involve singles, pairs, triples and fours tournaments. Many of our members enter these championships and we have enjoyed significant success in recent years.
During the summer we have our own internal championships in many various categories ensuring that members of all ages and levels can participate.
Social bowling takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11am to 12.30pm and all members are welcome, especially new members - it’s a great way to get to know fellow Club members. We have a ladies’ fun roll-up on Monday afternoons at 2pm.
Coaching is also available at the Club throughout the year. We have seven bowling coaches in our Club.
Our previous home - Moran Park
“Memories of Moran Park” - Watercolour by John Greene
In 1963, Dun Laoghaire Corporation decided to build a bowling green at Moran Park, between the Royal Marine Hotel and the East Pier. It was originally intended as a tourist attraction and the Corporation ran a tournament in September in which bowlers from the U.K. and Northern Ireland were invited to play. Local bowlers could not enter it then.
In 1965, Dun Laoghaire Bowling Club was founded by a group of local men. The Club leased the green from Dun Laoghaire Corporation. The Club also took over the running of the September Tournament. It was now open to Club members as well as all Irish and UK bowlers and catered for singles and mixed pairs. It was a prestigious tournament and was run successfully for many years.
Moran Park was a grass bowling green and the season ran from April to September. The Club had a small raised wooden clubhouse with limited facilities - see picture above.
Prior to 1991, ladies could only be associate members but, from 1991 on, they were full members of our Club. The Club’s Executive Committee has since been made up of ladies and men. Our first Lady President was Mary Byrne (1993/94). Up to very recently, ladies’ and men’s teams were separate but now practically all the league teams are mixed.
Dun Laoghaire Corporation became Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) in 1994. Because the DLRCC needed the space to build the new Lexicon Library, we moved to our current home in Eglinton Park. Our last event on our old green, was hosting the Bowling League of Ireland (now the ILB) Championships in late 2011.