Ruth Giddings (born Wellwood 3 September 1911 – 20 November 2015) was an
Irish bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
player. She had a long career that included winning 54 national titles, leading her to become one of the best Irish players of contract bridge of her time.
Biography
Giddings was born in
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
on 3 September 1911.
She graduated from
Alexandra College and went on to work in
Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...
.
She started playing
contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...
in her mid-thirties.
Giddings died 20 November 2015, aged 104. The ''
Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' called her "one of the greatest Irish players of all time."
According to the
Contract Bridge Association of Ireland, she was "Unquestionably Ireland's greatest woman player."
She is currently the most-capped
Irish player of all time.
Career
Giddings won 54 national titles starting in 1947 and eventually became a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
grand master.
She played in 19 European, 6 World, 3 European Union, and 2 Home-International championships.
She won 5 European medals including 2 silver at
Montreux
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...
in 1954 and
Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
in 1973.
She also won 3 bronze European medals in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
in 1952,
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
in 1961 and
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in 1962.
She retired from international competition in 1981 when 70 years old but continued to compete in national events and won her last title in 1992.
At age 96, she won the president's prize, playing at the Regent.
References
Further reading
*
External links
"Memory of Ruth Giddings""Tralee 1995"{{Authority control
1911 births
2015 deaths
Bank of Ireland people
Sportspeople from Cork (city)
Irish contract bridge players
People educated at Alexandra College
Irish centenarians
Women centenarians