John Carroll: At the bridge table you will never see John be anything but cool and calm. His many bridge achievements – often playing with Tommy Garvey – include silver in Warsaw 2006, fourth in World Teams Championships in Lille in 2012, Silver in Cavendish Teams in 2013. When John gets a time off from bridge, he works as a software research and development manager. Married to Ann Marie, John is the proud dad of David and Zach.
Nick FitzGibbon: Nick’s international bridge career started with the Miami Olympiad in 1972 – playing the Little Major! Since then he has seen sense and from 1974 commenced playing with Adam Mesbur in numerous European Championships and Opens, Olympiads, World Mind Games, Transnationals, Bermuda Bowls and World Pairs / Rosenblum Teams. Together they have gained silver and bronze in the Europeans, won the Cavendish Trophy and placed fifth in a number of European Open and transnational events with two members of the current team for the Lederer: Tom Hanlon and John Carroll. They would have more medals if results properly reflected cheating teams. Frequent team captain Grainne Barton also figures in the medals with a second place in the EU mixed team championships in 1989, playing with Pat Walshe and Nick and his wife Kathryn.
Now retired from telecoms, he has been playing on Mark Moran’s team for three years, reaching the quarterfinals in the Winter Games and a win in the Gold Cup during 2020. He helps his daughter Nicola with her showjumping career. She also has represented Ireland in European Championships in her sport.
Tom Hanlon: Achievements in bridge are numerous but include three Lederer victories. Tom has featured in each of Ireland’s Camrose eight wins since 1998. Tom plays with many top European and American players – he won the Dublin Regent Club’s 90th anniversary international pairs event (with Justin Lall), was on the team that won the Gold Cup in 2016 (playing with Zia) and reached the semifinals of the 2017 Spingold. His longest-standing partner is Hugh McGann with whom he played for over 25 years. They represented Ireland on many Junior and Open teams. More recently he has formed a partnership with Conor Boland. Tom is the only full time professional bridge player on the team. He has a son Colm.
Adam Mesbur: Adam is a retired banker living in Dublin. He has had a long-standing partnership with Nick FitzGibbon stretching back to 1974. Representing Ireland was put on hold while both played active roles in bringing up their children during the nineties – he has a son and a daughter with twins – but they have regularly played in international events again since 2003. He also has played on Mark Moran’s team since 2019.
With Nick FitzGibbon he won a silver medal in the Junior European Championships in 1974 and they were runners-up in the Common Market Pairs the same year. They finished third in the European Teams in Lausanne in 1979 and second in Warsaw 2006 and were fourth in the Lille World Mind Games 2012. He has four wins in the Camrose Trophy with Nick and most of the current team, which includes a win with team mate Mark Moran. The pair won the Senior Pairs for the Magerman Trophy in the 2013 European Open in their first ever senior event.
Mark Moran: Originally from Offaly, Mark represented Ireland at junior level, but for a long period after that bridge took something of a back seat to career and family. On returning to the game more seriously, Mark was a member of the 2005 Camrose winning team in partnership with Peter Pigot. Playing with Rory Boland and more recently, John Carroll, he has been a part of the Irish panel on a regular basis since 2013. Bridge highlights include winning the Camrose again in 2015 and 2017, the Gold Cup in 2020 and the Lederer Trophy in 2024.
Mark lives in Dublin, where he maintains some business and charity interests. Married to Deirdre, he enjoys spending time with family, especially with son Colm, and daughters Niamh, Clodagh and Sorcha. Outside of bridge, he is a sports fan, with rugby and hurling/gaelic football to the fore. He plays golf and tennis and enjoys the outdoors and travel.
Frederic Volcker is a French International who has represented his country many times in Junior, Mixed and Open events. Top results include gold in the European Championships in 2016, silver in the following Bermuda Bowl in 2017 and gold in the European Transnational Teams in 2019.
Lederer Trophy 