A Little Bit of Ireland Comes to Bainbridge in the Form of a new Irish Club and the Sport of Irish Road Bowling

“I’m laughing at the Irish hilarity of our approach,” says Eileen O’Grady, the appropriately named president of The Bainbridge Irish Club. As with many things Irish, there’s a good story behind the loosely knit organization’s origins.

As the group was planning the tourney, O’Grady says she found herself replaying the role of Spanky in “Spanky and Our Gang,” who would often say “‘Hey, let’s start a club! Darla will sing, I’ll serve drinks, and Alfalfa will handle ticket sales.'” “I just said, ‘Can we make this ‘event board’ a ‘club board’?” Unanimous yeahs,” came from her production crew.

O’Grady says the club first and foremost is driven by philanthropy. “What can we do to enhance life on Bainbridge for the community-at-large.? Beyond that, we’ll be following our curiosity about all-things-Irish. Sports like Road Bowling, golf, soccer, literary activities like poetry slams, open mic nights, book discussions, musical events, Irish dancing, travel, food; anything to bring Ireland here. I said to a friend who loves Ireland “I know you want to go to Ireland, but why not join the club and save on airfare?” Badumbum.

Of course, there couldn’t be an Irish celebration of any sort without food, and, as O’Grady notes, “the food added to the ‘Irishness’ of the day.” The vendor – Mama Fong’s Culinary Creations – offered three classic Irish items; A lamb slider with coleslaw, Colcannon, a comfort food dish made with potatoes as a base, and corned beef pot stickers that was a tip of the hat by the vendor, O’Grady says, “combining their heritage with ours.” After the tournament, participants retired to Plate and Pint, to gather prizes and some lingered long enough to be hungry again and enjoy sips and bites.