Carlow Bridge Congress 2026

What to Expect

The Carlow Bridge Congress is the county’s annual entry on the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland calendar, and it takes over the ballroom of the Seven Oaks Hotel for the full October bank holiday weekend. Play opens at 7:30pm on the Friday and runs through to Sunday evening, finishing around 7:00pm.

The programme covers several events at different standards rather than one long tournament: Congress Pairs, Congress Teams, Mixed Pairs, and separate Novice and Intermediate categories so newer players are not thrown in against the strongest fields. It is open to CBAI members and to visiting players from outside Ireland. The hotel usually puts a weekend residential package together for players, typically two nights bed and breakfast with evening meals, which is worth asking about early given the bank holiday. Carlow has an active club scene of its own, with Acorn and Centenary bridge clubs both running weekly sessions in the town, so there is a local contingent in the room as well as travelling players.

Good to Know

• Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. First session 7:30pm Friday; play concludes around 7:00pm Sunday.
• Venue: the ballroom at the Seven Oaks Hotel and Leisure Club, Athy Road, Carlow.
• Events: Congress Pairs, Congress Teams, Mixed Pairs, plus Novice and Intermediate categories.
• Open to CBAI members and to visiting players from outside Ireland.
• Entry fees are not published on the listing. Enter through the CBAI website or contact the organiser.
• Organiser contact: 086 864 8649 or yatesm114@gmail.com.
• Ask the hotel directly about the residential weekend package if you need a room over the bank holiday.

Getting There

The Seven Oaks Hotel is on the Athy Road on the northern edge of Carlow Town, about a ten-minute walk from the town centre and Tullow Street, with its own car park. Carlow railway station on the Dublin Heuston to Waterford line is roughly fifteen minutes away on foot. Carlow sits just off the M9, so it is about an hour from Dublin and forty minutes from Kilkenny by road, which is part of why the town draws a national congress field.