THE historic Senior South of Ireland Tennis Championships returns to Limerick Lawn Tennis Club for its 149th edition.
With a legacy dating back to 1877, the South of Ireland Championships shares its founding year with the very first Championships at Wimbledon. Uniquely, Ireland’s inaugural Open Championships took place not in Dublin, but in Limerick — placing Limerick Lawn Tennis Club at the forefront of tennis history and predating Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club by two years.
From its inception, the Championships demonstrated remarkable inclusivity, with the original programme featuring Gentlemen’s Open Singles, Gentlemen’s Handicap Doubles, Gentlemen’s Open Doubles, and Ladies Open Singles.
The Ladies Open Singles was included from the outset — seven years before Wimbledon introduced a ladies’ event in 1884 — making it the oldest ladies tennis tournament in Britain and Ireland, while its men’s championship is second only to Wimbledon in longevity.
The 2026 Championships, running from June 12 to 20, will feature nine days of high-quality competition, welcoming players from Open Grade 1 through to Grade 6, all competing within the World Tennis Number (WTN) system. Athletes from across Ireland and beyond will battle for titles in what remains a highlight of the national tennis calendar.