Ower Bridge, Co. Galway

Ower Bridge, Co. Galway

Photographs and information provided by M.Geoghegan in April 2010

The Alley at Ower Bridge is on the banks of the Black River which forms the border between Galway and Mayo. There is debate as to which county the Alley is actually in. The river proper runs on the Galway side of the Alley but there is a mill race on the northern side with a second bridge over the road and some locals reckon this is the border. The Alley is in what was an 19th century mill with the walls part of the original building. The Alley is 30 foot wide but only 51 foot long to a white marking which was the end line when the alley was in use. A local man tells of a time when the alley was the centre of social life in the area with large crowds turning up on a Sunday to play and watch. Use of the Alley waned in the 1980s with the building of five new courts in Headford.