Survey Data
Reg No
22311006
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Handball alley
Date
1870 - 1900
Coordinates
172594, 162334
Date Recorded
13/07/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Three handball alleys were constructed in mass concrete against the rendered random stone walls of a former two-storey national school. Alleys were extended in 1879 and 1897, before becoming disused in 1965. Contains remnants of tiered precast concrete seating and steps to ball alleys, and blocked window openings with stone sills to school building. Date plaque to school in partition wall.
Appraisal
Handball was one of the sports promoted by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and was very popular throughout Ireland during the first half of the twentieth century when most towns and villages constructed a handball alley. The decline in popularity of the sport in the latter half of the twentieth century resulted in their disuse and sometimes demolition, with the result that they are becoming increasingly rare. This group of handball alleys has social significance for its ability to provide information about the fluctuations in popularity of this sport.