During my travels around Ireland with my donkey, Missie, back in 1979, I stopped into The Mill Wheel Bar in Knocknahilan, just outside the town of Kinsale. There I met Mike Barry, an engaging young man who invited me to stay at his parent’s stone house located nearby. After we had settled Missie in a secure field, Mike informed me that a bowling match would shortly commence on the Heathfield Road.
“Bowling?” I asked. “Aye,” he said, “but not pin bowling. This is a far older game that originated in County Armagh.
‘Tis also outlawed, but sure, it goes unnoticed in these parts.” “How is it played?” I tried to keep pace with Mike’s long and excitable stride. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! “The bowlers throw a 28-ounce iron ball, a ‘bowl,’ the size of a tennis ball, over a twisting two-mile course of roadway, an whomever finishes the course in the least amount of throws is the winner.
” “Why is it outlawed?” “Betting, for one thing. Plus it disrupts traffic. That’s why teatime is a handy time to play.
Old Mick Barry, my namesake, was the best bowler from these parts. He had arms that draped below his knees, and he once lofted a bowl in a demonstration match clear over the viaduct leading into Cork City. An incredible feat, that! He also holds the Cork record for completing a mile in six bowls,” he added, responding to my raised eyebrows.
“Aye, six throws to cover one long Irish mile. “The ga.