0:00:04 > 0:00:07Road bowling predates football, Gaelic football, soccer,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09probably rugby.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14In Armagh, it's part and parcel of who we are,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17it's part of our identity. You grew up with road bowls.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24We refer to road bowling here in Armagh as bullets.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26CHEERING
0:00:26 > 0:00:29People outside Armagh - if you talk about bullets,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32they don't have a notion what you're talking about.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Every shot's different, every course is different, that's where the challenge comes in.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47The rivalry between Cork and Armagh is fierce. It's unbelievable.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50The one thing that we train hard to do every year
0:00:50 > 0:00:52is to beat our Cork opponents.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13DISTANT SHOUTING
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I'll give 3-2 the score.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I'll take 7-4.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I'll give 3-2 the score. I'll take 7-4.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23We're unique in many ways. There's no admission charge.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26It's free to all-comers.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30You just land, you go out the road, it's there, you walk, you enjoy it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:30We don't charge in.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35We've no changing rooms, no equipment.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40All we have is a pair of runners, a T-shirt and a road bowl.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The aim is to start at a starting line,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45travel through to the finish
0:01:45 > 0:01:47in the least number of throws.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Each go will be marked by a marker on the road
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and then your next shot starts
0:01:52 > 0:01:55wherever your last bullet ended.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57A proper road bowling road is a road
0:01:57 > 0:01:59that has a lot of twisty bends on it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Not big, long straights because anybody can throw a straight bowl,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05but you have to negotiate the corners.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07That's right.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09You generally have someone
0:02:09 > 0:02:12back at the tip who's very familiar with the road,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and who's a calming influence.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Let's keep back.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Further up the road, you'll have another person standing,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23legs astride, and he's basically a target for the player.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25The player is aiming to play the bowl directly
0:02:25 > 0:02:30to the shower on the road to gain maximum distance from the shot.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The Bol Fada - that's actually the curtain raiser
0:02:34 > 0:02:37for our championships.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41What happens there is the All-Ireland and Ulster and Munster
0:02:41 > 0:02:43champions from the previous season
0:02:43 > 0:02:48would all play against each other in a big tournament.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51We get to see our players, what way they've wintered.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Have they wintered all right?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Are they strong, have they been back training for a while?
0:02:58 > 0:02:59How they're bowling.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03That gives us an indication as to how they may bowl in the championship,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and people follow them, then, throughout the championship.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09CHEERING
0:03:09 > 0:03:12ALL TALK AT ONCE
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I give 3-2 the score. I give 3-2 the score.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17Anybody want it...?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'There's substantial sums of money wagered on the bullets.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24'It's a gentleman's agreement when someone has a bet with you.'
0:03:24 > 0:03:26There is it there for you. There is it there for you.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29'You may not see any money changing hands,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'someone might just say, "OK, that's a bet."
0:03:32 > 0:03:36CHEERING
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'You'll hear nothing about it till the end of score,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42'then you'll see the person who won getting paid out.'
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Rightly so!
0:03:46 > 0:03:48CHEERING
0:03:56 > 0:03:59When I was a child at school here, at the college, out on a Sunday walk,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02we usually had a priest along with us,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I used to watch the game and mingle with the crowd,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and got so worked up with the excitement.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10CHEERING
0:04:10 > 0:04:13When I looked around, all the other boys had disappeared,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17and I was going to run into trouble for coming back on my own
0:04:17 > 0:04:20to the college. So that's my first encounter with road bowls.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Bowles came to Ireland from England
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and was especially associated with the weavers,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34so it was a game that was much played in Lancashire.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37When it came to Ireland, it was picked up by the Irish
0:04:37 > 0:04:41and, naturally, it was very much associated here
0:04:41 > 0:04:43in Ireland with the weaving.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50The valley is dotted with mills, Scotch mills especially,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55and right on in to Armagh where you had a mill at Umgola,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58and a mill down at Mill Row.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03It's easy to see how it was part of community life here.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07If you can imagine how they would come out during breaks
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and have a game of bullets on the roads.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13All these little houses were grouped around the mill.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Each had their own little culture.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25You'd have got different teams, if you like,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28you were from the upper end or the lower end,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30the Navan Street boys or the Mill Row boys.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35The road bowls were a poor man's game.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38It was played by everybody,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Catholics and Protestants.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47It being Sunday, the road was pretty clear of traffic,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50but sometimes, a car or bicycle would pass.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Men from cottages along the way joined the crowd.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57The road was soon black with people.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Finally, the books were closed at a figure never before equalled
0:06:02 > 0:06:05within the memory of the oldest man present.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07?225 aside.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12The throwers peeled off their coats, a coin was spun
0:06:12 > 0:06:17and to mark the butt, a handful of grass was thrown down onto the road.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22It didn't always please certain people,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25for instance, the churches.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Gambling was very much associated with the bullets,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30and the breaking of the Sabbath.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36The very first mention of the game of long bullets
0:06:36 > 0:06:42is from the records of the Common Council of Londonderry.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46It prohibits the game of long bullets on the ramparts of Derry
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and a fine of five shillings,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and that kind of attitude went on right on up to the '30s and '40s.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01All the Row fellows began hunching up their shoulders
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and clapping their hands together.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07"Let's cut out the codding and get down to business.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10"Show us what the outer Row is made of."
0:07:10 > 0:07:12All his strength went into the throw,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15his face convulsed.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19He gave a gasping grunt and the bullet left his hand like a rocket.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20A warning cry rang out,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25and those on the footpath scattered like blown chaff.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30The bullet mounted the path and skimmed along like a living thing.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36The din became deafening.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41It swelled like the tumult of a great storm-wracked sea.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43People whistled, screamed,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47shouted hysterically and tossed their hats in the air.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Finally, it trickled to a halt,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52and sat dead in the very centre of the road.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59This stone has been placed here, maybe 15 years ago,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02to commemorate Joe McVeigh's fantastic feat.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Joe played from Knappagh crossroads to this point in 22 shots.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09It's clearly written there for everyone to see,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12bowls folk and non-bowls folk alike.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14The record has stood the test of time.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18The great Mick Barry, Danny McParland, Michael Toal, Harry Toal,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21they've all come and attempted to beat this record.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Some have got very close.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I know some have covered the course in 23 shots,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30but no-one's ever made it in 22, and I'd suggest no-one ever will.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Your sport is built on the great players.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45Every young fellow running around with a road bowl in his hand, he wants to be Mick Barry,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49he wants to be Michael Toal, he wants to be Danny McParland.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Just the same as children playing soccer want to be David Beckham.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55What we decided to do in Armagh
0:08:55 > 0:08:59here to encourage the sport was to start a youth programme,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02to have a new generation of youth coming through, new road bowlers.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Road bowling's all about timing, so the coaches here,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13what they're doing with their people here today,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17is teaching them to run to the butt fast, to jump and to co-ordinate
0:09:17 > 0:09:20their jump with the swing of their arm,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22their feet touching the ground as the bowl is delivered.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24That might sound simple -
0:09:24 > 0:09:27that's incredibly difficult to do if you've never done it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31They have to learn how to encounter corners,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36how to play the shot round the corner to achieve the maximum distance.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37To spin the bullet,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39it means that you're holding the bullet.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43When you let the bullet go, it's spinning out of your hand to the right,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47which means when it hits the ground, it's actually turning right.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51If you're pulling the bullet, you're holding the bowl in your hand,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and when you deliver it, it's coming off your index finger
0:09:54 > 0:09:56and it's turning to the left.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02There's a lad, he's six years old, he's throwing bowls here
0:10:02 > 0:10:05with the people of 14 and he's holding his own.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09These are the people that are gonna take our sport into the next century.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11These are the people that we're gonna coach,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14that will play and win All-Ireland for Armagh.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18It's like anything else,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22it's a sport that's handed down from one generation to another, in families.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24If you went round these people tonight,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28you'd find that their fathers and their forefathers all played road bowls.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39Mick!
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Hey, that's my boy!
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Good shot.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19CHEERING
0:11:21 > 0:11:23CHEERING DROWNS SPEECH
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'A lot of the boys had him backed, a few pounds on him,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32'and he came through with the goods and won.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37'My own experience was it was probably the best day of my life.'
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Thanks, Dennis.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45You'd think I had thrown it!
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Invited guests, ladies and gentlemen...
0:11:53 > 0:11:58You're all very welcome here tonight to our 2005 annual All-Ireland presentation.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03We've been treated to a fantastic weekend of top-class bowling...
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Tonight, they'll discuss the high points of the weekend,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09the great shots they played, the shots that they misplayed
0:12:09 > 0:12:12and how that would have changed the outcome of the score.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17There are older people - they'll be comparing the ability
0:12:17 > 0:12:21of young people to the ability of great players years ago.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27We're a minority sport, so to be part of that minority sport,
0:12:27 > 0:12:32you're an important person - especially if you're young, growing up with a bit of talent,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37then you're extra-special because your parents have played bowls. They see something special
0:12:37 > 0:12:41in their son or their daughter and they want to bring that out in them.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45When you come in here tonight,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49those people who competed against each other so furiously all weekend
0:12:49 > 0:12:53sit down together around a table, tell a story, have a drink.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57They're big, big friends, and when those people come back to Cork,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00we'll be wishing them well and we'll be saying,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02"We look forward to seeing you next year."
0:13:02 > 0:13:04We will look forward to it -
0:13:04 > 0:13:07we have great friends in Cork, Cork have great friends here.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Even though the rivalry is unbelievable,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12so is the camaraderie.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14We're all big friends,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17we're all just members of this big family, you know?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:13:47 > 0:13:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk