BIG READ: Kilkenny Handball - More than just a sport

Kilkenny’s association with handball goes back centuries — from the handball alleys of the Butts producing talented players en masse, to the thousands of children from north and south of the county playing the game during school lunch breaks and the summer holidays.

From Michael ‘Ducksie’ Walsh to Richie Hogan, to all-round Clogh Handball Club stalwart Billy Love and many more, the game of handball in Kilkenny has produced some of the most naturally gifted, hard working and dedicated players and volunteers in any sporting code. Despite not being under the same media spotlight as hurling and Gaelic football for most of its history, the competitive nature of its players and their determination to win can not be questioned, with the skills nurtured and developed not only beneficial to their catalogue of handball skills but to other sports too.

Handball is more than just a sport, it’s a community. Admittedly, as only a partial fan but long term admirer of the sport, the greatest reflection of the popularity of handball is what appears to be the number of players who take part in competition each weekend and are highlighted on the Kilkenny Handball media outlets. The stars of the future are not too far away, with many already shining!

From Noah Manogue scooping the All-Ireland Minor Singles Handball title to Katie Brennan and Holly Byrne winning the Girls Doubles 40x20 competition to name but a few, Kilkenny handball appears to be in a healthy state. 

One of Kilkenny’s many up and coming stars is Anthony Clifford of Talbot’s Inch Handball Club. Clifford won a 40x20 All-Ireland Minor Boys Doubles title alongside John Hayes (Kells) in March and represented Ireland at the u-15 Singles and u-17 Doubles at the World Handball Championships last year.

Speaking after attending the World Championships in San Francisco last January, Clifford was over the moon with the experience and used his time training between games.

"I went to every court and every specific alley I was going to play in to know what it was going to be like, I just always went in to have a tip around in whatever alley I was playing in before I played an actual match in there. I just like going in and having an advantage over people. Every alley is different and then when you get used to it then you’re ready for the match."

Reaching the heights of global competition doesn't come easy and along with hard work, good coaching is an imperative recipe to a successful formula according to Clifford.

"Especially for the style that you play, it’s very good to have a coach there to go back to if you’re not playing well and they can tell you what to do to improve it."

Talent in Kilkenny can be associated with quality coaching along with other factors, but is catching players at a young age necessary?

"Most people come and play from an early age but I suppose with handball there is a grade for every person so if you want to work at it, there is the lower grades for your level but it is a big advantage for picking up the hand-eye coordination and the movement," according to Youth Games Officer with Kilkenny Handball, Sean Foley (Windgap Handball Club).

North of the county, Billy Drennan’s handball’s exploits are known far and wide with the Galmoy man coming through the junior ranks with regular success. The family’s love for the sport is undoubted. Currently, Billy’s attention has turned to senior inter-county hurling as the Cats eye up Liam MacCarthy.

However, Galmoy Handball Club Secretary and mother to Billy, Tríona Drennan follows his progress every step of the way, with the handball ‘journey’ no less thrilling with a tight bond amongst the sport’s members.

"I have four sons and they all play handball, they’d love to be able to play it more but it’s hard. Billy was brilliant at handball but he had to make a choice. He loves handball but the great thing about it is he can go back to it at any time. Our eldest member is 67, you never lose it," she commented.

FOR MORE KILKENNY SPORT, CLICK HERE

As life becomes demanding and hurling begins to call on talented players in both codes, will handball continue to prosper in rural clubs?

Chairman of Kilkenny Handball Michael O’Shea believes the sport will continue to thrive locally but acknowledges a lot of players may need to take a break from the sport for a period with the demands of hurling and general life. However, optimism is still high!

"Handball is definitely going in the right direction and with TG4 there providing great coverage of the games and what's really helping is the opening of Croke Park. Any child wants to play in Croke Park so it’s where everyone wants to be," he said.

"There’s an ocean of games and this year being world handball year, like we’re only out of the 40x20 season a few weeks and we’re heading into softball now and then you have junior nationals so there’s a huge amount of tournaments coming up. It’s all go."

And with the 2024 World 4-Wall Handball Championships coming to County Kilkenny in October and the added bonus of a new handball statue coming in the pipeline. The local handball community are hopeful of promising days ahead.