Hand Ball
Handball was played in Castlewellan as far back as anyone can remember and in 1926 Father Early P.P who was a fine exponent of the game built a handball alley at the bottom of the meadow. The handball alley became a popular meeting place and Castlewellan produced many fine handball players’, namely Johnny and Hughie Toner, James Jennings, Charlie Poland, John (“Darkie”) Toner, and Owen McCabe. In 1927 "Darkie" Toner, and Father Frank McKenna P.P. Carrickfergus won the U1ster Senior Doubles championship, while Father Cullen won the individual title. They were unsuccessful in their bid to win the All-Ireland championships played in Croke Park in the 1928 Tailteann Games. Frank Lennon recalls one famous occasion in the early thirties when Father McAlea who was just new to the parish arranged an exhibition game at the ball-alley. He invited two champion players from his previous parish in Belfast to play the pick of the town. The champions arrived decked out in their sporting gear and it was Charlie Poland and Owen McCabe who were thrown into the ring. According to Frank our local heroes won every game much to the dismay of the new priest and the visitors. Frank also insists that Owen McCabe who was a local character of some note never even removed the huge belted overcoat that he wore winter and summer for all of his life.
The red brick ball-alley which had “welcome Celtic” emblazoned across it in large white painted letters came tumbling down sometime during the war as a result of stormy weather. The “Welcome Celtic” greeting referred to a friendly soccer match played in the meadow between a Castlewellan soccer side and the great Belfast team of that era. Although the alley was temporarily gone the young lads continued to play handball against the large green garage doors of the UTA Bus depot (later to become the GAA Social Club) at Circular Road. Years later it was decided to rebuild the ball-alley and a collection was taken up in the parish asking for donations of a half-crown (about 25 pence). Seamus Fitzpatrick of Burrengrove a member of the Club Committee undertook the rebuilding followed by Peter Jennings and this time the alley was built in concrete blocks. But whatever happened, insufficient funds or lack of interest, the alley was never finished and it lay in half finished state until demolished by the Club in 1977 when work on St Malachy’s Park commenced.
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