Road bowling’s role in EU diversity mentioned at conference

Gerald Stokes from Cork City and John O'Donnell from Mitchelstown check out the poster that asks who will be crowned the 30th Queen of the Roads. Pic: Noel Sweeney

Road bowling was included in the recent Presidency Conference on Traditional Sports and Games held in Croke Park, organised by the Irish government as part of its six-month EU presidency.

It was the first time that bowling was represented at a high-level policy conference at either national or international level. The overall theme was celebrating the role traditional sports and games play in enriching Irish culture and contributing to the diverse culture of the European Union.

It is part of a process to draft a non-binding framework, to be agreed among all EU member states, on future directions in sport, especially traditional sports. Both senior minister, Patrick O’Donovan and junior minister Charlie McConalogue as well as 200 delegates, representing a wide canvas of sports across Europe contributed.

For road bowling it also marked a public announcement of its ambition to be included in Ireland's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage and ultimately international recognition on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Culture of Humanity.

Greater recognition as an element of Ireland’s indigenous sporting heritage, like the games under the aegis of the GAA, would open significant opportunities for the development of the sport. Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport at the European Commission took a particular interest in road bowling.

The detailed application process for inclusion on the national inventory is the next step of a process, that gained significant impetus through a parliamentary question tabled by Cork TD John-Paul O’Shea earlier this year.

Tom O’Donovan beat Brendan O’Neill by almost two bowls in the Dan-Joe Holland Cup at Ballinacurra. There was little in it for the first three shots, O’Donovan won all three. O’Neill’s fourth got an unlucky bounce on the rough at Brinny cross. O’Donovan’s reply was left, but it was speedy and reached the church to give him a big lead.

O’Neill only made the end of the church wall with his next throw. O’Donovan hit back with a great bowl to the waterworks, which O’Neill just missed with his sixth to fall a bowl down. O’Donovan followed with three big shots in succession to the hurling alley, where he was almost two bowls clear. O’Neill put in a strong finish from there to deny O’Donovan raising the second bowl.

Rosscarbery packed four cup ties into a busy weekend. Cillian Kelleher’s win over Seán-Paul McDonagh in the Tim White Cup and Mark Bourke’s victory over Denis Wilmot in the Michelle Hayes Cup were the highlights.

Kelleher finished strongly to beat Sean-Paul McDonagh by almost a bowl in the Tim White. He led by 20m after two to the top of the hill. McDonagh took the third and had big odds at the priest’s house after four. His odds shrunk in the next two. Kelleher led after seven, but there was little between them to the Cahermore line.

Kelleher did much better from there. He pushed his lead towards a bowl. He killed any hope of a late McDonagh rally with two great closing shots, first out the last bend and then past the line.

In the Michelle Hayes Cup Bourke just shaded the first three, but a big fourth bowl to the end of the priest’s house gave him a 50m advantage. He didn’t build on that though and Wilmot closed the gap to Barry’s boreen. Wilmot made a mistake with his next one and Bourke opened a 70m gap.

That slip spurned Wilmot to up his game and he produced two big shots to win his only lead. Once back in front Bourke threatened to pull clear, but didn’t manage to till the closing exchanges. Wilmot made poor sight at the last bend and Bourke went well around it. Wilmot missed the line with his next one and Bourke wrapped it up.

David Walsh won the Munster Zone B vintage B final, beating Christy Butler by close to a bowl at Jagoes Mills. He started well, taking each of the first three tips, but Butler edged in front with his fourth. Walsh regained the lead with a brilliant fifth one.

The lead concertinaed over the following exchanges with Walsh seeming to pull clear only for Butler to trim him back. Walsh began to take control from the railway line and edged close to a bowl clear to the line.

Pat Callanan survived an injury scare to defeat Michael Gould in the Zone A vintage B final at Templemichael. At the same venue Michael O’Leary beat John Donnellan in the Zone A vintage C final. At Clashmore PJ Cooney beat Mick Wall in the East Cork-Waterford junior veteran final.