The
history of the Ball Alley in Walsh-Island commenced on the
completion of the
structure in 1913. Hand ball became a very popular sport in
the following years and
produced some great players from the area who won many
medals and trophies
namely Paudge Duffy, Sean McCann, George Whittle. Kenneth
Whittle, Eric Whittle,
Bill Bryan R I P, Sean O' Shea R I P, Dickie Shaughnessy
R.I.P, Pat Corcoran R.I.P,
Tom McCann R.I.P. Those men won the prizes but a lot more
took part in the sport
and on Sunday mornings after Mass there was a race to the
Alley to place your 3d on
the wall for a game and it was first come first served. So
popular was the sport that
most Sunday's men waited up to three hours to play a game.
All this came to an end
when the Ball Alley went into disrepair in the mid sixties.
Some of the other events that took place there over the
years were meetings, boxing
competitions and many
other festivities. The first big event was the training of
the old I.R A.
during the war of Independence and this landmark would hold
deep affection for many of the relations who still
live Walsh-Island and surrounding areas. In the boxing
competition we were honoured to have the late Ned Mooney who
was at the time the
Irish Guard Champion in the British forces and who gave
great enjoyment to all who watched him box. He never lost a
match in the Ball Alley. May pole dancing
was also another annual
event and attracted large crowds every year. The biggest
event that took
place at the Alley was the homecoming of the local giant of
a man Jack Berry
after having spent a month in jail for breaking the law of
not removing his
animals and implements
of land commissioned, land in which he was in dispute with
over the breaking
up of an adjoining estate. Jack was cousin of the late
Colonel Eamon
Broy who played such a major part in our war of
Independence. Such was Jack Berry's strength that he
was often seen walking the Pike Road with a trunk of a tree
under each arm to be used for firewood.
In his seventies he could be seen riding
his white stallion bare
back through the streets of Portarlington. He was held in
such high esteem in the area that his homecoming was the
biggest event to be held in Walsh-Island. Local people
collected loads of turf, sticks and tyres for a bonfire at
the Alley. He was carried shoulder high from the forge and
the young people at the time lined up each side of the road
with lit sods of turf which had been dipped in oil. The
bonfire was lit
and the festivities began with local musicians and dancers
taking part in
the all night entertainment.
Another big event took place on May 4th 1935 when
the All Ireland Turf cutting competition was held in
Monevane. Men from the four corners of Ireland took part in
this event and the Toisceasch of the day Eamon Dev Alera cut
the first sod. The main
idea behind the turf cutting competition was to show Dev the
vast amount of two of
our natural resources namely peat and manpower. Fr Breen
P.P. and Patrick Gormon
came up with this idea, and after the turf cutting finished
they took Dev to the Ball
Alley so he could see
the vast area of peat that surrounded Walsh-Island. He told
the two men their idea could become a reality and he would
have it discussed at cabinet level when he returned to
Dublin. Within three years this did indeed become a reality
And is known today as Bord Na Mona !
