St Mary's / Athlone Basketball History ( Est 1950's )

 

St Mary's BC /Athlone Basketball Club

The sport of basketball was first introduced to the town of Athlone in Westmeath through the Custume Army Barracks where, throughout the 1940's and 1950's, the army team were one of the top teams in the country.  This Athlone based Army team dominated the roster for the 1948 Irish Olympic Team.    Here is a link to the basketball history of the LDF / Irish Local Defense Forces where more information is available about the Custume Barracks Teams and the early years of basketball in Athlone,  

From there, the sport crossed the river Shannon to the Marist College where it soon gained a strong foothold among the students. In the mid fifties, a small group of past pupils of the college (including Sean Fallon and Dermot Dunning.) , keen to continue their involvement in the sport, approached the management committee of the local St. Mary's Hall in Northgate Street and were granted the use of a small piece of waste ground at the rear of the hall, bordering onto St. Vincent's Hospital.  Utilizing their own resources and labour, they cleared the ground, laid a tarmacadam court and erected basketball stands.  From such humble beginnings emerged  the Athlone and St Mary's Basketball Clubs.  Here is the program from the 1976 - 5th Annual Noel Gahan Memorial Basketball Tournament promoted by St Mary's Basketball Club (Athlone)