Quinn's Road, Shankill, Co Dublin. Phone 2825400. Email info@shankilltennisclub.com
The history of Shankill Tennis Club

Shankill Tennis Club’s rise from modest beginnings has been remarkable. Established in 1986 and based on four Dublin County Council courts, the Club was opened with 700 members and a small portacabin clubhouse. The portacabin was burned to the ground in March 1989 and the members began to fund raise for a new clubhouse. Having spent one year in a B & I container, the Club in a productive joint venture with the County Council and supported by the National Lottery, soon had permanent Clubhouse facilities. These were opened in July 1990. Further developments followed apace. Floodlights were erected in 1991 and three new hard courts were added in 1995. A few years later in 1998, the original four courts were extended, realigned and upgraded to an artificial surface.

The most recent (90,000 euros) development, completed in 2003 and financed largely by the Club from its own resources, involved the provision of floodlights and a new synthetic Omni-Pro surface on three remaining hard courts. This now brings to seven the number of fully-lit Omni-Pro courts available at the Quinn’s Road premises, and greatly expands and improves the playing facilities available at the Club.

Success off the court has been matched by success on it. The Club regularly fields five men’s, five women’s and several junior teams in the DLTC Leagues and has numerous pennants to its name. In 1991, it became the first County Council-based Club to be given a permit by Tennis Ireland to host a Junior Open Tournament. This popular Grand Prix Event is now a regular feature of the Club’s packed tennis calendar. The Club organises coaching for all standards, runs regular tournaments and social events and has a very active Junior section. One of its members, David Mullins, competed in Junior Wimbledon and later represented Ireland in the Davis Cup (2003).