Since 1962
Our History
One of the oldest basketball clubs in Ireland — six decades of Vincent's basketball in Glasnevin.
Origins (1958–1962)
Basketball came to Glasnevin in 1958, when Bro. O’Farrell put up a set of baskets in the schoolyard of St. Vincent’s C.B.S., helped by Tralee coach Brendan Buckley. The game took hold quickly. Bill Casey joined as player/coach in 1961, and in September 1962 the club was formally registered with the ABBA (the Amateur Basketball Association of Ireland) — the birth of St. Vincent’s Basketball Club, and the start of a story that makes us one of the oldest clubs in the Irish game.
The golden era (late 1960s–1970s)
St. Vincent’s quickly grew into a dominant force in Dublin and national basketball, driven by early stars Dave Fitzsimons, John Furlong and Olly Hearns. The club’s standing was such that it hosted two of the era’s biggest invitational events — the Glen Abbey and the St. Vincent’s (Players) International / Invitational tournaments — bringing leading British, Irish and international sides to Dublin. The 1968–69 Glen Abbey even featured a touring US Navy team.
By the mid-1970s the club was firmly to the forefront of Irish basketball, fielding senior internationals throughout the side.
On court, the Saints were repeat champions of the Roy Curtis International Tournament, a prestigious international invitational, winning it in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973, and taking the 1973 Players No. 6 International Tournament. The club also travelled to international invitationals including the 1975 “Major Extra Size” Tournament in Cork and the 1978 Lota Tournament.
These were international and invitational successes — proud markers of the club’s standing in the European game at the time, and distinct from the National League and National Cup. The domestic titles are set out on our roll of honour.
National honours
St. Vincent’s has six national titles to its name — three Irish National Leagues (1979, 1993–94 and 2005–06) and three Irish National Cups (1984, 1993 and 1994). The full record is on our roll of honour.
Over the decades the senior team also carried a series of sponsor names — Jameson’s (St. Vincent’s) in 1993–94, and later O’Hagan Saints, Irish Travel Partner Saints and Roma St. Vincent’s.
The Super League era
From the 2007–08 season the senior men’s team became known as DCU Saints, during a period based at the DCU Sports Complex. The club is no longer affiliated with DCU — today, the club’s Men’s Super League team competes as Bright St. Vincent’s, carrying the Saints’ heritage into the top tier of Irish basketball. Underage and senior basketball remain rooted at St. Vincent’s C.B.S. in Glasnevin.
Today
More than sixty years on, the club offers a complete pathway: from the Little Saints academy, through underage and Dublin League teams, to Bright St. Vincent’s in the Super League. One of Ireland’s oldest clubs — still doing what it has always done, developing players of every age in Glasnevin.
- To confirm with the committee: the “A Little Bit of Irish Basketball History” archive also credits St. Vincent’s with a 1970–71 National Cup and a 1971–72 National League. These are not in the current three-and-three tally — they’re flagged for the committee to confirm or rule out before any count changes. Exact spellings of early names (Fitzsimons, Furlong, Hearns, Buckley, Casey) should also be checked against club records.
Historical photographs on this page are courtesy of “A Little ‘Bit’ of Irish Basketball History” (the Irish Basketball History & More project / Enda Mulcahy). Check out the source ↗. Historical detail retold in the club’s own words.
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