A new beginning for handball club
Tinahely alley given new lease of life
PAT QUAILE started playing handball in the alley in Tinahely when he was four years old.
In the years that followed he honed his skills against the walls of the 60x30 court and he watched it go from being a hub to an empty shell and now, thanks to the help of a hard working committee and the wonderful support of the wider community, he’s seen it come full circle and he wants it to be used by young and old and everyone in between.
There’s no denying the passion Pat feels for this place. There’s a slight quiver in his voice when he tries to describe its importance to him. Those four walls are like close friends to Pat Quaile, winner of seven All-Ireland handball medals. As a child he used to mitch from school and seek refuge in the alley where he’d spend the day playing handball by himself.
His friendships were largely centered around the handball alley. His idols played there, names like Amby Quaile, Joe Cleary, Jimmy Hogan, Pat Quaile, Dermot O’Connor, Mick Darcy, Jack Pollard, John Moules, and Gerry Byrne roll off his tongue as he reflects on the past masters he once admired.
“My whole life was involved with this place,” says Pat, as he gazes out over the new balcony that gives a superb view of the spacious 60x30 court that is also used for racquetball.
The idea of doing up the central venue started to emerge about 11 years ago and a committee soon formed and bit by bit funds were raised with the help of the community and then the acquisition of grants from Wicklow Country Council’s 2016 Community Awards Scheme and the 2015 Sports Capital Programme grant provided them with the means to transform the alley and for the past four weeks Declan Monaghan and his crew have been performing their miracle with a splendid renovation and the official opening will take place on Sunday, June 18, at 2pm.
This story is not all about Pat Quaile, obviously. Pat might be the only active handballer in the village but there are plenty of people with a passion for the alley with a blossoming racquetball community springing up.
Joining Pat on the committee are Siobhan Geoghegan, Clare Cullen, Roisin Walsh, Rosanna Lawlor, Lisa O’Rourke, Vivienne Perry, Ciara Byrne and Robert Cleary.
Pat says the fundraising started in 2008 and it’s the women of the committee who led the charge and showed the way when it came to getting the ball rolling.
“We’d like to thank the community of Tinahely and the surrounding areas for everything they have done for us,” said Pat and Roisin who joined us at the alley last Saturday afternoon.
Wicklow County Council also comes in for sincere gratitude and the main message from this article and the grand opening on June 18 is that the Tinahely Handball Alley is open for the sport of handball and racquetball and everyone who would like to play or join up as a member for a ridiculously reasonable annual fee are more than welcome.
In the near future some gym equipment will be purchased and placed on the balcony and Pat hopes to complete his coaching requirements in the near future so he can start to pass on his vast knowledge of the ancient game to the youth of Tinahely so that local names can once again be up in lights like Pat Quaile’s so often was.
“The passion I feel for this place is unreal,” said Pat. “I spent hours upon hours playing here to get to where I am today. I used to mitch from school and this is where I’d hide. One day Fr. McCarthy caught me and brought me home.
“But the game took a hold of me, I don’t know what it was, it just grabbed me. It took me a while to make the breakthrough but I did it in 1989 when I won the All-Ireland under-21 title. He town came to life that night,” he recalled.
It is hoped that the renovated alley will hold an All-Ireland final later this year but first things first is the grand opening. On the day there will be a racquetball exhibition and the final of the Billy Pollard Cup will also be held with the cup being presented to the winner by Violet and Willian Pollard. The late Billy Pollard was a massive figure in handball in Tinahely.
The earlier rounds of the Billy Pollard Cup will be played at the alley on the Friday and Saturday as well if anyone would like to attend.
There will also be a cheese and wine reception and soft drinks for the children or drivers and the day promises to be a wonderful occasion.