Frank Peard

Frank Peard (1919 - 2019) was an Irish badminton player who played for Ireland internationally in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early life and family Francis Woodley Peard was born in 1919 in Skibbereen, Co Cork to Francis Woodley Peard, a bank official, and his wife Dorothy Phyllis (née Clarke).

Badminton career Peard began playing badminton at around age 9 or 10. His playing style was latterly described as consistent and thoughtful, and that he possessed very quick reflexes and was skilled across singles, doubles and mixed.

Between 1946 and 1957, Peard represented Ireland in badminton twenty times. He won 3 Irish Open titles, 16 Irish Close titles, and 6 Scottish titles. Additionally, he played in two All England semi-finals, playing alongside Noel Radford and Jim Fitzgibbon. He played at European badminton tournaments with Fitzgibbon. In 1948 he played in the first match of the inaugural Thomas Cup, playing against Denmark.

He was a keen promoter of badminton in Ireland, taking part and organising many exhibition events. Peard had a long coaching career, and was invited to speak at the 1985 World Coaching Conference in Calgary. He served on the executive committee of the Leinster Branch, overseeing the move of the branch to new premises at the Terenure Centre, Whitehall Road in 1954.

In 1976, Peard served as the Director of the European Championships when they came to Dublin that year. He was also involved in the establishment of the Badminton Museum of Ireland, donating funds and objects to the museum. One such article for The Irish Times entitled "How to Get There: An Emigrant's to New York" was a guide to new Irish arrivals to the city. After his return to Dublin he became Assistant Chief Accountant, later Director of Guinness in 1972, and finally in 1977 he became Deputy Managing Director of Guinness Ireland. He became a Trustee of the Iveagh Trust in 1981. In 1993 he became the first non-member of the Guinness family to serve as Chairman of the Trust.

Peard died at Mount Hybla Nursing Home, Dublin on 22 September 2019.

Publications Peard wrote a number of publications on the history of badminton: Sixty Years of Irish Badminton (1995) A Century of Irish Badminton: A supplement to Sixty Years of Irish Badminton (2004) Building the Badminton Hall (1954) The Midland Branch (1961) Reorganisation of the B.U.I. (1966) A Policy and its Implementation (1966) M.B.B.U.I. (1967) Badminton in Holland (1969) Improving the Performance of Irish Badminton Teams (1970) Conditions for Progress (1976)

Achievements Below are a selection of Peard's on court achievements. Irish National Badminton Championships

All England Badminton Championships International & Open Tournaments