In Ballincurrig, East Cork, a 2km stretch of road becomes a stadium each October. For 40 years, locals and international players have competed in Ireland’s little-known sport of road bowling, where 28oz (794g) iron balls skim bends, potholes and dips in pursuit of glory.
In East Cork, far off Ireland’s tourist trail, a crowd has gathered by the hedgerows lining the roadside of Ballincurrig. A murmur ripples, then silence falls as festival Grand Marshall Bill Daly releases an iron ball. It whistles past the rapt onlookers, scrapes the tarmac and rolls towards a bend. Then comes the roar: this is the King and Queen of the Roads, the world’s biggest road bowling tournament, now celebrating its 40th anniversary.
For one weekend each autumn, Ballincurrig, a tiny village with one pub and a primary school – transforms into the Wembley Stadium of Ireland’s most unusual ball sport. A stretch of road becomes the stage as thousands of spectators line the grassy ditches, peering over shoulders to glimpse the iron balls whistling past. Competitors come from across Europe to test themselves on the storied course, 30km east of Cork city.
Noel SweeneyRoad bowling is one of Ireland’s oldest sports, though it remains little-known outside its two main strongholds of Co-Armagh in Northern Ireland and County Cork. The rules are deceptively simple: throw a 28oz (794g) iron ball along a 2km stretch of road, with the fewest throws deciding the winner. If the bowl leaves the road, it still counts but must be taken again. Each player has a small team of helpers – like golf caddies – who place a tuft of grass, known as a “sop” as a target on the tarmac. Unlike regulated ball sports, no two courses are alike; these are Irish country roads riddled with potholes, sharp bends and unexpected dips.