William of Orange troops may have given us road bowling

Road bowling was probably brought to Ireland by Dutch troops fighting for William of Orange and was once a common sport countrywide before being confined mainly to Cork and Armagh.

That’s the claim from a man who has carried out extensive research on the sport as part of a book which throws the spotlight on the exploits of arguably its greatest exponent — Mick Barry.

Author Noel Magnier believes William’s Dutch troops brought the sport with them when they defeated James II’s forces during the 1689-1691 war. “They were using small cannonballs to play during their recreation time. I believe that is how it came here,” he said.

However, the Roman historian, Gaius Tacitus, recorded Germanic tribes playing it in 5AD.

Bishop John Buckley, who still bowls at the age of 75, said he believes the Dutch theory as road bowling is very strong there.

Corkman Mick Barry, who will be 96 next month, created history when he lofted a 16oz bowl over the railway viaduct at Chetwynd in 1955.

The book entitled The Greatest Bowl Player of All Time — Mick Barry of Waterfall will be launched shortly.