Ogonolloe, Co. Clare

Ogonolloe, Co. Clare. Photographed Nov 2008
The following text is from an article written by Michael McNamara about the handball alleys in the parish of Ogonelloe. See Cornagnoe entry also.
The site of this alley was given to the people of the parish by the Gleeson family who arrived to Ogonelloe in 1903. There were two short side walls and the original floor was clay. Then in the 1930s about 40 feet of a concrete floor was laid down. Outside of hurling, handball was the most popular game being played in the parish.
In 1953 the present side walls were built and plastered and a concrete floor extended to 60'. It also became the parish dance hall each Sunday evening during the '50s and early '60s. Lack of transport in the early years confined handball to a parish sport and it wasn't until 1957 that a club was registered. That year J.O'Brien, J. Sheehy, Flan O'Farrell and Michael Dinan took part in the Clare championships. Interest in handball remained high until the later '60s when it died away to the just the old game.