Catching the bowling train in Cork 

People are familiar with the match train going to games in Croke Park, but did you ever hear of the bowling train to Bandon?

Prior to the development of the West Cork rail line, bowling was only played locally between bowlers in parishes in the countryside and around the city.

Long-distance travel was very limited as the roads were poor, with only the horse and trap as transport.

However, bowl playing took off in a big way on the Clancool bowling road, Bandon, in the 1880s as a direct result of the establishment of the West Cork rail line.

It meant that for the first time, the Cork City bowl players were able to travel by train west to Bandon, and the West Cork men travelled east by train to bowl them in Clancool.

The first time I ever saw a bowl being thrown was on the Clancool bowling road in the late 1950s when I was four or five years old.

I have loved the sport ever since.

Growing up in the Carey’s Cross Bar, near the finish of the Clancool bowling road, I heard many stories of the best players who played at Clancool in the 1880s to the early 1900s.

In those early days, there was no bowling organisation and tournaments were unheard of.

Instead, challenge scores were arranged by the ers of the best individual players at the time.

Often scores were arranged by meeting at the fair day in Bandon.

All big scores would be “bound” for an agreed date, starting time, and a guaranteed minimum stake.

The “binding” money would be laid down at approximately 10% of the guaranteed minimum stake.

It would be held by a credible neutral individual or the local publican.

The “binding” money would be forfeited if one party could not make up or reach the agreed minimum stake money, or if any one of the conditions were not met.

If everything proceeded as planned, the “binding” money would usually go as a bet on the score along with the stake.

The Clancool bowling road was a testing road for the best players as the majority of the road was rising ground with steep hills.

The score was up to 30 shots long, with the record for the road being 26 shots – this was only ever achieved on three occasions.

Scotty and Blocky were known for having some of the great scores at Clancool in the late 1880s.

That was Scotty Leonard of Bandon and Block Coleman of Blackpool, Cork city.

It was said that they played a number of scores with huge crowds present.

In the early 1890s, they both emigrated to Boston, USA, and continued to bowl there.

John Buck McGrath, Blackpool, Cork city, was said to become the leading bowl player to play in Clancool in the 1890s and up to the turn of the century.

It was said that he defeated Denis Sonny O’Leary for a very large stake in 1902.

It is reported that in the region of 5,000 people attended the score, which took two days to complete, including many that travelled by train from Cork city.

Ladies from the Coal Quay were said to have sold pigs crubeens on the road.

After McGrath won the score, it was said, he was shouldered through Bandon town to the railway station, behind the Blackpool Brass Band.

I often heard the old people talk of the great scores between people such as Tim Delaney, Fairhill, and Red Crowley, Bandon.

In 1939, Mick Barry, at 20 years of age, played his first score at Clancool, beating Pedric Connolly, Drinagh.

Barry went on to play scores at Clancool over the next 30 years, winning the last senior tournament final he played there in 1969.

There have been three distinct phases of bowl playing in Cork over the past 140 years.

There were the early days of the big scores played at Clancool.

Other roads did feature, as transport became available, but the ultimate test for the big challenge scores was up Clancool.

In 1933, the focus of bowling moved to Dublin Hill with the Cork City organisation forming the All Ireland Bowl Players Association.

This continued until it disbanded in 1954.

Later in 1954, the Ból Chumann na hÉireann was established in West Cork and promoted the establishment of bowling clubs in both the county and the city.

In nearly every crossroad with a public house in the 60s and 70s, a bowling club was formed.

I all my own teenage years marking scores for the local club every Sunday.

Ból Chumann na hÉireann has served playing well over many years.

Players come along each year to become heroes and take home the honours and the trophies.

The real heroes are the volunteers who give up their time free year after year, organising and running the various competitions and go home quietly every Sunday to come back and do the same the next week.