Built in 1905 for a man from Timbuktu, a refurbished County Galway handball alley is at the centre of a revival of the ancient sport among youngsters in Bearna and Na Forbacha.

Around 70 pupils from two national schools in the parish are contributing to the resurrection of handball in Bearna that was made possible thanks to restoration of the community ball alley by dedicated locals.

The 120-year-old alley was owned by local landlord Marcus Lynch, of Barna House, and was built for his valet or servant Osmond Tisani. Known to locals as ‘Blackeen Bhearna’, Tisani from Timbuktu, was brought to Galway after Lynch’s son died in the Boer War.

He lived with the Lynch family, learned to speak Irish fluently, played hurling for Rahoon – and the ball alley opposite the old Bearna church was built in 1905 for his amusement.

Gifted to the community after Lynch died in 1916, the alley has experienced various waves of popularity in handball throughout the last century, including in the 1920s and 1930s.

Handball was vibrant again in Bearna during the 1970s, when Seán O’Connor coached youngsters at the ball alley that is located on the lefthand side, at Silverstrand boreen, driving into Bearna from Galway City.

It’s understood Seánín, as he’s known, won the last competition held at the amenity in the 1990s, and John Connolly, who died in 2023, was another legend of the game locally.

Denis O’Dwyer, who played during the 1980s, has again tried to reawaken the GAA sport in the area by involving two national schools, Scoil Shéamais Naofa Bhearna and Scoil an bhForbacha.

Mr O’Dwyer took it upon himself in 2012 to regularly clean the alley. Six years later, he did a ‘serious clean-up’ removing overgrown ivy and trees from the alley and its surrounds, which had become a dumping ground of waste and rotten vegetation. “It was gone to rack and ruin,” he said.

Last year, Mr O’Dwyer – chair of Bailte Slachtmara Bhearna (Tidy Towns) – held the first adult competition at the alley in more than two decades.

And now he has organised a handball competition for young people this coming June, when 70 boys and girls from sixth and fifth class in two local schools will compete against each other for two trophies.

Caption: A hive of activity in the newly-restored handball alley. Photos: Joe O’ Shaughnessy.

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