Squash in Ireland Squash in Ireland Irish Squash includes notable players such as Jonah Barrington, Derek Ryan, Madeline Perry, Liam Kenny Aisling Blake and John Rooney. Jonah Barrington was honoured with a lifetime achievement award in 2006 at the World Squash Awards. Irish Squash is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity following a dip in its profile during the 1990s. Belfast hosted the Women's International Squash Players Association World Championship in November 2006 with the final being played at the Ulster Hall. Irish Squash, the national governing body for squash in Ireland, celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010. There are many growth areas
Derek Ryan (squash player) his school Leaving Certificate and decided to study accountancy which he discontinued after a year. Aged 19 he decided to play professionally and in 1991 he moved to Manchester. After a successful international career as a professional player, including appearing a record 188 times for the Irish national team, he retired from the professional circuit in 2002. He continued to play national squash with "Fitzwilliam", the current Irish champions and studied Physiotherapy at the University of Salford. Ryan now practices as a Physiotherapist in Dublin. In 2008 he played the then current world number 2 Grégory Gaultier in his testimonial