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.