Hibernians revive Irish road bowling

It’s half way to St. Patrick’s Day – as good a time as any, thought the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the oldest and largest Irish Catholic organization in the country, to host the first South Carolina AOH State Road Bowling Tournament.

Irish road bowling originated in the Irish countryside in the 1600s. Stories abound of how the sport got started. One legend is that the Irish “used to steal the English cannonballs and roll them down the hill,” said S.C. AOH State President James Nettles Jr.

Today, the sport, in which competitors attempt to take the fewest throws to propel a steel ball about the size of a tennis ball, called a bowl or bullet, along a course, is popular in the county of Armagh in Northern Ireland and the county of Cork in Ireland’s southern region.

The sport is played on “old city streets or back roads,” in Ireland, said chapter President Don Buchanan. Like in golf, each course has its own nuances and challenges and requires different combinations of strategy and skill. Course distances vary anywhere between a half mile to 2 miles.

“It’s a lot of fun, but it can be frustrating, too,” said past state President Neil Diamond. “You have to learn how to throw the ball.”

“(Road bowling) is very big in West Virginia,” member Pete Aiken said.

An AOH tournament is also played in conjunction with St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Savannah, Ga.

“Savannah has a giant Irish community,” said Nettles.

The York County chapter, the Bishop Emmett Walsh Division, has more than 65 members, and is made up primarily of Fort Mill and Tega Cay residents and members of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Fort Mill. Around a dozen players split into two teams turned out to try their hand at bowling down the U-shaped road at Fort Mill’s KOA Campground.

“We’re just Irish guys trying to get together,” said chapter Financial Secretary Rich Guicheteau.

Men of Irish birth or descent who live in the U.S, are at least 16 years old and who are practicing Roman Catholics may apply for membership into the Hibernians.

“We’re trying to get bigger,” Buchanan said, adding that recruitment is of particular interest as current members age.

“Most of us are all retired, or on our way out to retire, so we have the time,” Buchanan said.

The AOH seeks to promote Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity, according to its motto. The organization is involved in charitable initiatives that advance Irish causes and Catholicism. Project St. Patrick, which provides funds for seminary programs, is one of the AOH’s largest projects. Another program, Freedom for all Ireland, provides donations for community projects in Ireland, as well as justice initiatives. Another, Hibernian Hunger, offers food assistance to the needy through food banks and community outreach.

While chapters across the state do raise money for the AOH’s national initiatives, the biggest push is helping locally.

“Most of the money is kept in their own communities,” Nettles said. “We don’t send hardly any funds out of the state of South Carolina.”

For more information, call 803-548-0049 or email Buck19015@comporium.net.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Hibernians revive Irish road bowling."