Falcarragh, Co.Donegal

These two 3-wall alleys are located beside Cloughaneely Golf club in Falcarragh on grounds of former Ballyconnell House. The house and grounds were purchased by the Congested Districts Board in 1917, occupied by the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1921 and the Free State Forces in 1922 during the Civil War. The property was purchased by the Office of Public Works in 1926 and offered to the Loreto nuns 1927 who used it as a preparatory college for female primary school teachers until 1961. It was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Raphoe, for use as a boys’ secondary school (and boarding school) from 1965 until 1986. In 1987 it was purchased by Udarás na Gaeltachta and was used as a Gaeltacht school\Irish college until recent years. For more information on house and grounds (handball alleys not mentioned) see National Inventory of Irish Heritage: Main House (reg nr. 40812001) - https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40812001/ballyconnell-house-ballyconnell-falcarragh-donegal; Walled Garden (reg nr. 40812005) https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40812005/ballyconnell-house-ballyconnell-falcarragh-donegal The Handball Alleys were constructed sometime post 1917. At some stage the local Mart converted them adding blockwork walls to create animal pens. It is no longer used for this and are overgrown with trees and bushes. The walls of the alleys are in excellent condition. Interestingly the “short lines” for handball are small inserted tiles. Very close to this location is Cloughaneely GAA club which has an outdoor 3 wall alley attached to the club house. The alley has been converted to a storage shed. There is a 40x20 alley inside the club house. Photographs and information by E.Timoney, July 2021 Read More......

Loughanure, Co. Donegal

Loughanure, Co. Donegal This alley was located behind the technical school (gairmscoil) on site of former limekiln. There were many lime kilns in this village.See history in photographs. Information and photographs by R.Ryan and K. Healion, Aug 2020 Read More......

Carndonagh, Co.Donegal

Carndonagh, Co.Donegal This alley was built by Peter Clarke - a builder and coffin maker from Tyrone who settled in Carndonagh – at location known as Cowpark. It was a 3-wall alley with wiremesh covering the roof. It was demolished in 1984. Flowers and planting on site of alley.   Information (provided by local man M. McClure) and photographs collected by R.Ryan, Aug 2020 Read More......

Bunnagee Pier, Culdaff, Co.Donegal

Bunnagee Pier, Culdaff, Co.Donegal Elderly lady remembers handball being played at the coastguard station. Possible location of then 1-wall alley pointed out to R.Ryan by local man. Photographs and information from R.Ryan, Aug 2020 Read More......

Browne's Bar, Crossroads, Co. Donegal

Photographed by E.Timoney, Nov 2019. Information provided by P. S. Benny Browne.
This alley at Browne’s Bar, Crossroads was falling into disrepair and considered dangerous so it was demolished. All that remains of the Handball Alley is the floor and the wooden deck built on site of the alley.

Read More......

Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal

 

Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal
This alley was 're-opened' in 2014.

It was visited and photographed by E. Timoney in Aug 2019. Earlier photographs (final 2 photographs) shown on this website date from 2009 and were taken by E. Timoney in May 2009. The B+W photograph is from the book '100 Years of Handball, Handball, Dongeal and the World', by Pat Holland, published by Voice Books in 2004

Following text from http://www.geocities.com/johngall_99/ballyshannon4050_1.html

The Handball Alley was one of the busiest sports arenas in the town, some of the people who frequented the Alley at that time were Jimmy Rogan, Francie “Titsie” Daly, Dutchie Darcy, Sylvester Maguire Snr., Johnnie Moore, Willie Daly, Dermott Lapsley, Tom, Packie and Francie Gallagher, Jody, Patsy, Eddie and Charlie Rooney, Jim and John Askin, Frankie and Jim Kerrigan, Maurice Murray, Dennis Patton, Mickey Gillen, Jim White, Dan and Benny Dorrian, John, Paddy and Cormac Mc Cready, Thomas Duffy, Jimmy Rooney, Jimmy Coyle, Michael Donagher, Michael White, John, Seamus and Patrick Coyle, Mickey Keenan, Michael Mc Govern, Michael Gallagher, Paddy and Kevin Begley, P.J. Coughlin, Paddy Donagher, Blackie Coyle, Paddy and Alo Hoey, Willie and John Mc Allister, Brendan Farrelly, Sean Mc Dermott, Roger and James Mc Ginley, Francis Smith, Danny, Jack and Jim Downey, Seamie Granaghan, Seamus Darcy, Fergal Gildea, Dennis Lawn. With the help of Francie Gallagher, those listed above are the names that come to mind. The older fellows always took control of the big alley while the younger lads used the side alley, during the summer’s the alley would be packed, it was always a pleasure to sit and watch a good game of handball. Someone who was known to all at that time blew a hole in the Alley in 1957, regardless of this person’s treachery the damage was repaired immediately.
The Handball alley was also a popular venue for Open Air Ceilis on the odd Sunday evenings during the summer; Cyril Curran and his Assaroe Ceili Band usually provided the music, this was a very popular event for young and old.

Handball Alley Shadowmen, poem by Michael Herron

Ideal companions for comely,crossroads maidens
the Sunday handballers were dancelords
in billowing white shirts and best suit trousers,
watched by older heroes in peaked caps
from behind a knowledge cloud
of Sweet Afton and Woodbine.
Great parochial tournaments mythologising
ordinary men, even the occasional cornerboy,
Celtic gladiators in a concrete arena.
Hard earned appreciation of oldened players,
applauding quietly the clever use of angle and wall.
Hand in,hand out,hand in,hand out,
and savage laughter at a misjudged bounce,
an unanswerable butt greeted by a knowing wink.

How safe we were back then,
mere boys surrounded by a casual posse of Raleighs,
jumbled on the grassbank,
waiting our chance to shine in a Sunday game.
Sitting recently on the crumbling steps,
at the back of the alley,
I found another constant broken,
the front wall scarred by a lightning crack,
the drift of litter and leaves from corner to corner
the only movement now in this forgotten Ulster colosseum.


All the old players scattered,
leaving only handball alley shadowmen.


Read More......

St. Conal's Hospital, Letterkenny

Photographs – by E. Timoney, Feb 2009 – show location of former alley against gable wall. B. Vaughan confirmed that the side walls were knocked down in 1990. The former positions of these walls is visible in the photographs.
Read More......

Falcarragh, Co. Donegal

Falcarragh Co. Donegal Photograph provided by G.Loughran, April 2013.
The sloping walls are part of the side walls of longer open alley back. This is visible on aerial photographs from 2005 and would seem to have had 4 walls. It was possible a pair of open alleys, the other being roofed and converted into an indoor alley.
Top photograph provided by G.Loughran in 2013. Additional photographs by R.Ryan, July 2020
Read More......

Lenan Fort, Co.Dongeal

Lenan Fort, Co. Dongeal

/div> Lenan fort is an abandoned British army base in County Donegal
Photographs by K.Healion and R. Ryan, Aug 2020, except for last photograph by J. at Still Design, August 2010 Read More......