Swinford Handball Club
by Deirdre & Kevin Fahey 5 Nov 2012
Swinford is often spoken of as a handball stronghold and indeed there have been some great players over the years in Swinford. The club had great names like Bolingbroke, Groake and Mc Nicholas and in more recent years, brilliant players like Hennigan, Geraghty and Cassidy. Swinford Handball Club was reformed in 2004 as a result of an advertisement in the Western People by Cllr Joe Mellett appealing for people interested in the restoration of the old alley at Sancta Maria to attend a meeting.
The result of this meeting was such that a Handball Club was formed under the Chairmanship of Eugene Maloney with Mary Woodlock as Secretary. A hardworking Committee was then put in place, meeting weekly, and with the aid of Cllr Joe Mellett and the generosity of the Swinford parish community the old alley was restored and a very successful tournament was ran for the opening. On October 25th, 2004, Fr Peter Gallagher officiated at the formal opening of the alley, dedicated to the memory of the late great Paddy Bolingbroke.
Youth Policy
The club decided to further embark on a policy of juvenile training to ensure the Club would thrive into the future. We are happy to say our wildest dreams have been surpassed with many Connacht titles and a number of All Ireland titles won by our juvenile members. Another pleasing aspect was the return of many former players to play and aid in the training of juvenile players. So successful had the Club become that by 2009, Swinford had the largest membership of any handball Club in Mayo.
Another exciting facet has been the development of ladies handball and here again Swinford has been to the forefront with Pauline Gallagher and Jennifer Fahey the holders of many All Ireland titles. Indeed, Pauline Gallagher has just recently won a World Gold Medal !
We would like to thank the following people for their contribution to handball in Swinford over the past eight years ; the Gallagher & Gavaghan families Derryronane; the Cassidy family, Brabazon Heights; Mary Woodlock, Deirdre Fahey, Yvonne Irwin, Kevin Geraghty, James Mc Nulty, Eugene Maloney, Tony Groarke, and George Miller. Thank you also to all those who have contributed over the years to the success of the Club.
by Deirdre & Kevin Fahey 5 Nov 2012
Swinford is often spoken of as a handball stronghold and indeed there have been some great players over the years in Swinford. The club had great names like Bolingbroke, Groake and Mc Nicholas and in more recent years, brilliant players like Hennigan, Geraghty and Cassidy. Swinford Handball Club was reformed in 2004 as a result of an advertisement in the Western People by Cllr Joe Mellett appealing for people interested in the restoration of the old alley at Sancta Maria to attend a meeting.
The result of this meeting was such that a Handball Club was formed under the Chairmanship of Eugene Maloney with Mary Woodlock as Secretary. A hardworking Committee was then put in place, meeting weekly, and with the aid of Cllr Joe Mellett and the generosity of the Swinford parish community the old alley was restored and a very successful tournament was ran for the opening. On October 25th, 2004, Fr Peter Gallagher officiated at the formal opening of the alley, dedicated to the memory of the late great Paddy Bolingbroke.
Youth Policy
The club decided to further embark on a policy of juvenile training to ensure the Club would thrive into the future. We are happy to say our wildest dreams have been surpassed with many Connacht titles and a number of All Ireland titles won by our juvenile members. Another pleasing aspect was the return of many former players to play and aid in the training of juvenile players. So successful had the Club become that by 2009, Swinford had the largest membership of any handball Club in Mayo.
Another exciting facet has been the development of ladies handball and here again Swinford has been to the forefront with Pauline Gallagher and Jennifer Fahey the holders of many All Ireland titles. Indeed, Pauline Gallagher has just recently won a World Gold Medal !
We would like to thank the following people for their contribution to handball in Swinford over the past eight years ; the Gallagher & Gavaghan families Derryronane; the Cassidy family, Brabazon Heights; Mary Woodlock, Deirdre Fahey, Yvonne Irwin, Kevin Geraghty, James Mc Nulty, Eugene Maloney, Tony Groarke, and George Miller. Thank you also to all those who have contributed over the years to the success of the Club.