Mahjong at HYC
10 Year Celebration of Mahjong at HYC
By Karen Rudd
On returning from a four year stint working and living in Singapore in 2015 with my partner Michael Moloney, we came home and with us came four Mahjong sets.
A Facebook posting asking my friends if anyone was interested in learning Mahjong, along with a chance meeting with the then commodore Berchmans Gannon, the Mahjong Group was started. It now has 155 active players and we celebrate 10 years of playing in HYC.
Mahjong is a 19th Century Game that was developed in China and played by 3 or 4 players. Similar to the card game Rummy, it is a game of skill strategy and luck and is played with 144 tiles based on Chinese Characters, Bamboos and Circles including Winds, Dragons and Flowers.
We grew steadily each year purchasing more sets as needed and now have 14 sets and actively play 3 sessions a week in the Club – Tuesday evenings, Thursday mornings and Thursday evenings. It is a real social and fun game with no need for a partner so it appeals to a very wide audience.
Never in my dreams would I have imagined it would take off like it has. Splinter groups started after Covid hit and now play in Howth Golf Club, Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club, Dalkey Community Centre and in Malahide - all because I became obsessed with the game in Singapore!
I am proud to run such an amazing group within HYC but it could never have grown so big without the weekly help of my fellow members - Aideen Sargent, Rebecca Sargent, Marina Hunter and Maureen Muir.
Although full at present, we have a waiting list for members interested in joining in 2026. Please email [email protected]
Save the Date! To celebrate 10 years of Mahjong at HYC, are having a Chinese inspired Dinner and entertainment on 27th September 2025 – Details to follow.