Irish Road Bowling at Pipestem Resort State Park, April 26-27

Pipestem, W.Va. – Pipestem Resort State Park in Summers County is the host site for what  is shaping up to be the biggest Irish road bowling celebration this side of the Irish Spring Festival.  The Singles Qualifier gets underway this weekend, April 26-27, according to Jeff Mullens, activities coordinator at this popular southern West Virginia state park.

            “Irish Road Bowling is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and have fun playing an old sport that’s gaining in popularity,” according to Mullens.  “If you’re looking for a little exercise, a ton of fun, and a combination of laughter and friendly competition for all ages, we invite you to participate.” 

            Irish Road Bowling makes use of a ball made out of iron and steel that is heavy enough to pick up speed, yet small enough for any person to handle. “Besides the basic rules and terms, all you do is hurl this 28 oz. ‘bowl’ with an underhand motion over a one-to-two mile country road and see how far it goes!” according to Mullens. The game is scored like golf, with the fewest number of shots from the start to the finish line winning.

            “It’s similar to fast pitch softball, except with a running start. It's also like bowling if you had enough room to run 10 or 15 yards,” Mullens adds. “It’s very easy to learn and a lot of fun.” 

             Irish Road Bowling is ideal for young athletes or seniors who are looking to enjoy a scenic walk on a country road, combined with an ancient and exciting, but not overly strenuous, sport. Pipestem secures a section of park road for this event.

            The event at Pipestem includes a special guest to throw the first bowl, a Civil War reenactment with shooting of the cannons to sound the call, and then the bowling begins.  The weekend schedule at Pipestem, according to the West Virginia Irish Road Bowling Association (WVIRBA) wvirishroadbowling.com , includes:

Saturday April 26
10 a.m.            Women’s Singles Qualifier
11 a.m.            Team Bowling
  1 p.m.            Cannons! Bagpipes! Team Bowling
  4 p.m.            Picnic

Sunday April 27
11 a.m.            Fun Bowl-Team Bowling
  1 p.m.            Men’s Singles Qualifier

            Road Master Danny Kuhn of the WVIRBA explains that the Pipestem event is a Women’s and Men’s Open Singles Qualifier of the West Virginia Irish Road Bowling Association and is open to anyone from the North American Region who is not qualifying elsewhere. The top four winners, men and women, will advance to WVIRBA Singles Finals, July 19, 20, in Ireland, W.Va. The two men winners at the Ireland singles will advance to North American Region Finals. (Pipestem is one of two qualifiers – the second qualifier is Saturday, May 17 for women and Sunday, May 18  for men, during the Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon.)

            Irish Road Bowling events are sprinkled throughout West Virginia in 2008.  Four additional state parks will play host this year, according to Sissie Summers, program coordinator for West Virginia State Parks.  “After last year’s report by Scott Finn of West Virginia Public Radio and his experience at the Holly River event, and consequent media coverage, we have encouraged our programmers to include this new, or actually old-time fun, back into outdoor recreation. Irish Road Bowling is becoming an organized activity at many of our parks. Pipestem Resort offers Irish Road Bowling as a weekly activity.”

            Irish Road Bowling events scheduled at other state parks include:

• June 21 – Blackwater Falls State Park. West Virginia Day Celebration, Davis.
• August 30 – Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. After bowling, ride the steam-driven logging train up the mountain.  Irish Road Bowling also will be played on Old Cass Road Saturday, September 27, at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Harvest Day celebration.
• October 11 – Holly River State Park Fall Challenge (& Pig Roast), Hacker Valley.
• November 2 – Stonewall Resort Yankee Skedaddle, Stonewall Lake Resort State Park, Roanoke.

            For additional information about WV Irish Road Bowling, contact Road Master Danny Kuhn at (304) 787 3356 or go online, www.wvirishroadbowling.com .  For information about the event at Pipestem Resort contact, call Jeff Mullens at (304) 466 1800, ext. 379.  Individuals participating or attending Irish Road Bowling Event and making overnight reservations in advance at McKeever Lodge should mention they are attending the event and receive 20 percent off the room rate.

            Pipestem Resort is located between Athens and Hinton, WV on Route 20, approximately 20 minutes from Interstate 77, Exit 14. The park features two lodges, cabins, camping, miles of hiking trails, two golf courses, fishing, aerial tram, restaurants, and an extensive events and activities schedule.  For more information call Pipestem Resort direct at (304) 466-1800 or go online to www.pipestemresort.com.

History of Irish Road Bowling

            Irish Road Bowling can be traced back to the 1600s. One story is that Dutch soldiers brought it when William of Orange came to Ireland in 1689. Another legend says that Irish patriots robbed English cannonballs and rolled them down a country lane by the light of a full moon.

            County Armagh in the north and County Cork in the south became strongholds of this rural sport, each independently developing their own distinctive hurling style. The first noted "score" (match) between Cork and Armagh was the Sept. 1928 meeting on the Knappagh Road, Armagh, between winner Timmy Delaney, Cork and Peter "The Hammerman” Donnelley, Armagh, before 10,000 spectators.

            After hundreds of years of localized bowling, Bol Chumann na hEireann (Road bowling of Ireland), today's governing organization, was formed in County Cork in 1954. The first "All Irelands" (national championships) between Armagh in the north and Cork in the south were held in 1963.  Over 20,000 spectators filled the 3 mile Moy Road course, Armagh, to see Danny McPartland of Armagh win over Derry Kenny, Cork, on the final shot by just 11 yards.      

            In 1969, the first international championships were held in Losser, the Netherlands, in three disciplines - Irish Road Bowling, Dutch Moors Bowling and German Lofting.
                                                ~ Road Bowling in Ireland by Brian Toal.

West Virginia Irish Road Bowling

            Irish troops marched over rugged hills and into deep hollers, cutting their way through vast rhododendron thickets, all over what is now West Virginia during the Civil War, 1861-1863. 

            In 2003, Dan Harvey, Commandant of the Military Museum, Collins Barracks, Cork City, Ireland, wrote "it is highly likely, indeed probable, that Union or Confederate troops of Irish origin played road bowling between battles during the American Civil war - as they did worldwide ... with many foreign armies."

            In 1861, the 10th Ohio, formed in Cincinnati from Irish militia, with Captain T.J. Kelly, fought at the battle of Carnifex Ferry Landing near Kesslers Cross Lanes. The 23d Illinois, Colonel James A. Mulligan's Irish Brigade, built and lived in Fort Mulligan near Petersburg for several months. In 1863, 80 Irishmen from Mulligan's Brigade, defending Greenland Gap, Hardy County, held a farmhouse for 12 hours against superior Confederate forces, until it was set afire and the roof caved in on them.

Mission Statement of the WV Irish Road Bowling Association and the Game

To Preserve and Protect the Ancient Irish Sport of Road Bowling, Also Called Irish Long Bullets, in the State of West Virginia. 
To Follow the Highest Standards of Sportsmanship in All of Our Activities.  
To Teach Irish Road Bowling to Men, Women, and Children as a Sport Providing Health and Physical Fitness.  
To Celebrate Nature and the Scenic Beauty of the Country Roads of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.  
To Honor the Special Place of Ireland, West Virginia and Its Irish Spring Festival as the Birthplace of Irish Road Bowling in West Virginia. 
To Represent West Virginia in National and International Irish Bowling Competitions.