Fenagh's First Handball Alley!
Fenagh handball club History
There are many legends told about the abbeys in Fenagh one of which refers to handball. The story goes as follows...
In Peter Heaney's youth (1862-1942) there was a group of teenagers who would regularly play handball against the wall of the old abbey. One Sunday morning, they were playing while supposed to be at mass. The language being used was somewhat colourful, to say the least, when a red-haired man appeared on the wall of the abbey and asked them to mind their vocabulary. One of the players took exception to being spoken to in such a manner and invited the redheaded gentleman down to backup his advice, whereupon the stranger retorted that he would break every bone in his body ... and disappeared.
Later, the handballers, went about to go for a swim in Fenagh lake, saw the same strange man walking towards them - on top of the water ! They decided not to incur his wrath any further and retreated.
On another occasion the handball got stuck on top of the abbey wall and one of the participants on trying to remove it, slipped, and an apparently sound piece of masonry fell on top of him, dispatching him to his maker - This finished the Abbey handball. !
( ©Fenagh - The GAA Story - by Padraig Leydon , 1984)
Our History.
Fenagh St Caillians GAA club was affiliated on the 1st October 1888. While folklore indicates that handball was played in Fenagh at a much earlier date than this, the earliest documented facts in relation to handball in Fenagh date to 1912.We know that the original alley was built onto the gable end of Fenagh temperance hall in 1913. It was a one wall alley, which was the style at the time. It was one of four in the parish of Fenagh. The others being Castlefore and two at Cornagun.
Our records indicate that a tournament also took place in the new alley in Castlefore Fenagh, in September 1912. Our hero's from that era were Michael Casserly and Pat Heeran.
Due to a decline in population the alley in Fenagh Village gradually became the primary venue for competition. In 1927 the Rev E. Dalton of Fenagh parish was appointed by the County board to organise handball in the area. Consequently handball remained a very popular game in Fenagh throughout the 30's and 40's with many local players of note, the most prominent of which was Thomas Canning who represented St pat's (Cavan) and Ulster Colleges.
In 1952 a committee was elected with the objective of upgrading the alley from a one wall to three wall configuration. It was decided to raise the back wall to 30 feet in height plus five feet of netting, erect side walls and renew and extend the floor area to 60ftx30ft. The project cost £750 and was completed in 1954.
Through the later half of the 50's and into the 60's may local players honed their skills in this new facility. The most notable of these was John Tom Bland, winning the Leitrim Singles Title in 1967. Throughout the 70's and 80's the organisation of Handball in Fenagh was primarily guided by Eamon Tubman, Peter Heaney and Brendan Beirne.
In 1991 the alley was upgraded further to a four wall alley with an open air viewing stand constructed over the back wall. In 2004 a new committee was formed, initiating a very successful fund raising drive, which ultimately led to the current configuration. The alley was roofed in 2006 and opened for indoor play in June 2008 with lighting, high spec floor, glass back wall and viewing area. As of November 2009 the club continues to evolve, with a total membership of 108, a dynamic juvenile training program for boys and girls with players who are prominent at county, provincial, national and world level.