Irish players dominated the 2009 World Handball Championships in Portland, Oregon, with a record haul of 35 World Championship titles.
The highlight of the world titles accrued were the unprecedented three-in-a-row world open singles successes of Cavan's Paul Brady and Antrim's Fiona Shannon, confirming themselves as arguably the all-time greats of the 40x20 game.
Brady, who contested the event with a serious muscle injury throughout, was in imperious form throughout the event and his final win over USA's Alan Garner, which followed his five-in-a-row US Nationals triumph and sixth All-Ireland senior singles success earlier this year, cemented his status as the all-time great 40x20 player.
At 30 years of age, there is no doubt he will already be thinking ahead to a remarkable fourth win in his own country in 2012.
Fiona Shannon was in unstoppable form in the Ladies' Open Singles event in Portland. The brilliant Antrim player was given a tough challenge by her club colleague, Aisling Reilly, in the final, a major achievement in irtself for the St. Paul's club in Belfast.
Shannon also teamed up with her sister, Sibeal, to make it third time lucky in the Open doubles final, where they came from 18-9 down in the second game, having lost the first, to win the title 11-3 in the tie-break.
In the Men's Open doubles championships there was drama as Paul Brady was forced out at the start due to his injury to concentrate on the Singles championship. Official Irish team member, Eoin Kennedy, then teamed up with Michael Finnegan and it proved a title winning combination as the duo picked up their second World Open doubles championship medals.
Robbie McCarthy and Brian Carroll showed super form in denying USA number 1 seeds, Alan Garner and Emmet Peixoto, in their quarter-final meeting, but in the final were unable to dominate in the same manner as their more experienced rivals.
One of the most synonymous names of irish handball is Michael 'Ducksy' Walsh and the Kilkenny maestro continued his incredible success story with emphatic World Masters Singles and Doubles championship successes.
Ireland simply blew away the opposition at underage level. In the singles competitions the brilliant Boys 19 & Under Singles triumph of Seamus O'Carroll was one of the highlights of the championships, as he defeated highly regarded American's Tyree Bastidas and Luis Cordova to claim the honours.
All-Ireland Under 16 singles champion, Martin Mulkerrins, came through a huge draw in the Boys 17 & Under Singles championship before denying Cork's Killian Carroll in the final and he made it a clean sweep in the grade with a Doubles title win alongside Niall O'Connor.
Monaghan, who had never tasted world championship success until 2009, saw an amazing double at 13 & Under and 15 & Under level through Padraig McKenna and Darren Doherty. Both players look real stars of the future as does young Daniel Curry of Wicklow who completed a 40x20 and one-wall 11 & under double.
In the Junior girls events there were eyecatching wins for Ciana Ni Churraoin (Gawlay), Lauren O'Riordain (Roscommon), Lorraine Havern (Down) and Shauna Hilley (Wicklow).
