Talbots Inch Handball Alley

One of Lady Desart's less celebrated philanthropic endeavours was her building of the Talbots Inch Handball Alley. As president of the Gaelic League, this would certainly have been in line with her philosophy and how she celebrated and invested in Irish culture. It was opened by President W.T. Cosgrave in July, 1928. Indeed, the club has sound claims to be one of the oldest, and certainly the most successful in Ireland.

Six of Ireland’s national handball champions were created upon the hallowed grounds of Talbot’s Inch. However, none can hold a match to Ducksie Walsh. At the age of 44, he is able to confound most statisticians by stating that he won 38 All-Ireland titles in the space of sixteen years. This is because handball is played on a choice of two courts, some 60x30, some 40x20. There is an All-Ireland championship for both and Ducksie has single-handedly won 23 of them. And then, of course, there is the doubles championship for both, which accounts for Ducksie’s other 15 titles.

The club can boast having produced players that have won over 100 Senior All Ireland medals. As well as Ducksie’s 38 titles, the club was home to Joe Gilmartin who won 24 senior crowns.