Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 30, 2026

Geraldine Barniville

Geraldine Barniville was an Irish squash and tennis player. She was a native of Birr in County Offaly and came from a prominent legal family.

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Geraldine Barniville
Country (sports) Ireland
Born(1942-11-07)7 November 1942
Died30 January 2026(2026-01-30) (aged 83)
PlaysLeft-handed
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon1R (1961, 1964)
US Open2R (1964)
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon2R (1972)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon2R (1964)
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  Ireland
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1978 Amsterdam Team
Silver medal – second place 1979 Hamburg Team
Silver medal – second place 1980 Helsinki Team
Silver medal – second place 1981 Amsterdam Team
Silver medal – second place 1982 Cardiff Team
Silver medal – second place 1983 Munich Team
Irish Championships
Gold medal – first place 1977, 1981 singles

Geraldine Barniville (nee Houlihan; 7 November 1942 – 30 January 2026) was an Irish squash and tennis player.1 She was a native of Birr in County Offaly and came from a prominent legal family (of the D.A. Houlihan law firm).2

Career

As a tennis player, Barniville won a record nine Carrickmines titles during her career, the first in 1963. At the 1964 U.S. National Championships she faced the eighth-seeded Carole Caldwell in the second round and pushed her deep into the third set.3 She played in 10 Federation Cup ties for Ireland between 1964 and 1977.4

Barniville played more than 70 times for Ireland in tennis and also competed for Ireland.5

Despite not picking up squash until the age of 24, Barniville ended up competing at the World Championships.6 She competed three times with the Irish national team at the World Teams Championships and from 1978 to 1983, was part of the team that was six times in a row runner-up in the European Team Championships.

Additionally, she won the Irish national title in 1977 and 1981.7

Personal life and death

Barniville was married to the late tennis player Harry Barniville and their son David is a High Court judge.2 She died on 30 January 2026, at the age of 83.8

References

References

  1. "Offaly native was a multiple tennis international". Offaly Express. 25 March 2022.
  2. OCallaghan, John (24 June 2022). "New President of the High Court has strong Offaly links". Offaly Express.
  3. "Australian shows Power". Arizona Daily Star. 6 September 1964.
  4. "Final faithful to proud tradition". The Irish Times. 19 July 2006.
  5. Reporter, Tribune (25 March 2022). "Offaly native was a multiple tennis international". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. "Geraldine all set for another `stage'". Irish Independent. 1 June 1998.
  7. Palmer, Michael (1984). Guinness Book of Squash. Guinness Superlatives. p. 74. ISBN 085112-270-1.
  8. Irish Times death notice.
External links