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Open-ended school handball courts at Gort Na Móna Secondary School

Gaelic handball (known in Ireland simply as handball;^[1][2][3][4] Irish: liathróid láimhe) is a sport played in Ireland where players hit a ball with a hand or fist against a wall in such a way as to make a shot the opposition cannot return,^[5] and that may be played with two (singles) or four players (doubles). The sport is similar to American handball (a related and almost identical game), Basque pelota, racquetball and squash. It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).^[6] In 2009, Irish Handball was rebranded as GAA Handball.

Rules[link]

A typical Handball court

Handball is played in a court, or "alley". Originally, an alley measuring 18.3 m by 9.15 m (60 feet by 30 feet) was used with a front wall of 30 feet, off which the ball must be struck.

A smaller alley was also introduced, measuring 12.2 m by 6.1 m (40 feet by 20 feet) with a front wall 6.1 m (20 ft) high. The first alley of this size was built in Ireland in 1969. This smaller size is now the standard in the international version of the game, but both alleys are still used in the Gaelic game, with two separate championships ran by the GAA in the two codes.^[7]

The objective of a game is to score a set total of points before your opponent does. Points are only scored by the person serving the ball. In other words, if a player wins a rally but did not serve at the start of that rally they only win the right to serve, and thus the chance to score after a subsequent rally. The serving player has two opportunities to hit the ball, from the "service area" (between the two parallel lines), off the "front wall" and across the "short line" (which is located exactly half-way down the court from the front wall).

Players take turns at hitting the ball off the "front wall" before the ball bounces twice following their opponent's previous shot. Most handball games take place in a four-walled court but there are also three-walled and one-wall versions of the game.

History[link]

Handball-like games have originated in several places at different times. Hieroglyphs in the temple of Osiris in Egypt portray priests taking part in a game very similar to handball. Mesoamerican civilizations in South and Central America had a form of handball-like game, which was a large part of pre-Columbian culture.

The first recorded game of striking a ball with a hand against a wall was in Scotland in 1427, when it was recorded that King James I ordered a cellar window in his palace courtyard blocked up, as it was interfering with his game.^[8] In Ireland, the earliest written record of a similar ball game is contained in the town statutes of Galway in 1527, which forbade the playing of ball games [generic] against the walls of the town. The first depiction of an Irish form of handball does not appear till 1785.^[9] On the west coast of Ireland, Galway had many trading links with Spain, especially the Basque regions, where the similar game of pelota is played.

The rules are simple. All you have to do is hit the ball with or without fulls (depends on location).

Both Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the game to many countries in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is still played in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Africa and England.^[10]

The G.A.A. wrote the first rules for the modern game of handball. Handball was included in the G.A.A. Charter of 1884 as one of the sports to be promoted by the new Association. In 1924 Comhairle Liathróid Láimhe na hÉireann ( the Irish Handball Council) was established to promote, develop and organise the sport. By 1974 Comhairle Liathróid Láimhe na mBan was founded to administer the sport for female competitions.In 1998 the amalgamation of Comhairle Liathróid Láimhe na hEireann and Comhairle Liathróid Láimhe na mBan saw a single national administration. The Irish Handball Council was rebranded as the GAA Irish Handball Council (C.L.G. Comhairle Liathróid Láimhe na hÉireann) in 2009.^[11][12]

Types of Handball[link]

In Ireland, there are four main types of handball. There is 40x20 (small court), the traditional 60x30 Softball & Hardball (big alley) and One-wall handball. One-wall handball has become very popular over the past 3 years and it is the most popular version of international handball. It is played in over 35 countries and it is hoped that it will become an Olympic sport soon.

Irish competitions[link]

There are many handball competitions that are run in Ireland. In 40x20, the main competitions are County, Province, and All-Ireland Championships plus the 40x20 Irish Nationals. In 60x30 Softball and Hardball, the main competitions are County, Province, and All-Ireland Championships. In 2011 GAA Handball Ireland launched the 60x30 Nationals and this competition will be held in July. In One-Wall handball, the main competition in Ireland is the Irish One-Wall Nationals, and this is now held in Breaffy House, Castlebar. There are also many competitions during the year held by various handball clubs around the country.

See also[link]

• Irish Collegiate Handball Association

Other modalities

• American handball
• Australian handball
• Basque Pelota
• International fronton
• Valencian frontó
• Fives

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gaelic handball

• GAA Handball
• World Handball Council
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fives". Encyclopædia Britannica. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 450,451. 

Paul Brady
Background information
Birth name	Paul Joseph Brady
Born	(1947-05-19) 19 May 1947 (age 65)
Origin	Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Genres	Folk, pop, traditional Irish
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin, bouzouki, tin whistle
Years active	1965–present
Associated acts	Planxty, The Johnstons
Website	http://www.paulbrady.com/

Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947)^[1] is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. During his career he has passed through several major bands and on to a successful solo phase. Initially popular for playing traditional Irish music in a duo with Andy Irvine and later with Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy, he later turned to a more rock inspired electric style with poignant political lyrics. Among his most popular songs are "Crazy Dreams", "Nothing but the Same Old Story", "The Island", "Night Hunting" (covered by Santana), and "Steel Claw" and "Paradise is Here"(covered by Tina Turner). ^[2]

Background[link]

Brady was born in the small town of Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the border with County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. His father Seán Brady was a music teacher teaching the flute. Brady was educated at Sion Mills Primary School, St. Columb's College, Derry and University College Dublin.^[3] He is prominently featured in the documentary film The Boys of St. Columb’s. He began learning piano around age six and by the age of eleven he had begun to play guitar, spending hours of his school holidays learning every tune the Shadows and The Ventures recorded, and was also strongly influenced by Chuck Berry. In 1963, Brady began performing as a hotel piano player in Bundoran, Donegal. He attended University College Dublin in October 1964 and performed with a string of RnB groups, covering songs by the likes of Ray Charles and James Brown. The first of these was 'The Inmates' (late 1964-about April 1965), who evolved into 'The Kult' (about April–December 1965), featuring Brady, Jackie McAuley (ex-Them, and future Belfast Gypsies and Trader Horne), Brendan Bonass, and Dave Pennefather. Brady can be seen in the film Charlie Is My Darling waiting outside Dublin's Adelphi Theatre for the Rolling Stones' 3 September 1965 concert. He next joined 'Rootzgroup' (late 1965-May 1966) and 'Rockhouse' (about May–December 1966).^[4]

Musical career[link]

1960s and 1970s[link]

During his time at college in Dublin, the country saw a huge rise in interest in traditional Irish music. Brady joined the popular Irish band The Johnstons when Michael Johnston left in May 1967. They moved to London, UK in 1969 and subsequently to New York City in 1972 to expand their audience. Despite some success, Brady returned to Ireland in 1974 to join the Irish group Planxty. This was the band that was to launch the solo careers of Andy Irvine, Liam O'Flynn, Dónal Lunny, and Christy Moore. Planxty dissolved and from 1976 to 1978 he played as a duo with Andy Irvine, a relationship which produced Andy Irvine and Paul Brady. The album was hugely successful and garnered much critical acclaim. The next few years saw him establish his popularity and reputation as one of Ireland's best interpreters of traditional songs. His versions of ballads like Arthur McBride and The Lakes of Pontchartrain were considered definitive and are still popular at concerts today. In 1975 in New York he recorded three albums for Shanachie Records as guitar accompanist to resident Irish fiddlers Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds and John Vesey. He also recorded a 1976 album for the same label with Irish fiddler Tommy Peoples.^[5]

Solo career[link]

In 1978, Brady released his first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger.^[6] It won him critical acclaim and it was awarded the Melody Maker Folk Album of the Year, however, it would prove to be Brady's last album with traditional material. He decided to delve into pop and rock music, and released his first album of this genre in 1981, Hard Station. The completely self-penned record received mixed reviews, some fans of his older traditional material were not convinced, while the majority recognised his great talent of writing rock music. Brady released a number of successful solo albums throughout the 1980s, True For You (1983), Back to the Centre (1985), and Primitive Dance (1987). By the end of the decade, Brady was recognised and accepted as a respected performer and songwriter. His songs were being covered by a number of other artists, including Santana and Dave Edmunds. For a full list of artists who have covered his songs see his own website http://www.paulbrady.com . Contrary to what is often written, Brady doesn't write for other artists but for his own self-expression. Other artists pick up on his songs because of the inherent quality. When Tina Turner heard a demo of his song 'Paradise Is Here' she recorded it for her Break Every Rule album of 1986. By now he was a favourite songwriter among such artists as Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt, who would do a duet with Brady on his 1991 LP, Trick or Treat. A couple of Brady songs soon appeared on Raitt's album Luck of the Draw, including the title track.

Bob Dylan was sufficiently impressed by Brady's work to name-check him in the booklet of his 1985 box set "Biograph'. The actual quote was “..people get too famous too fast these days and it destroys them. Some guys got it down- Leonard Cohen, Paul Brady, Lou Reed, secret heroes,- John Prine, David Allen Coe,Tom Waits. I listen more to that kind of stuff than whatever is popular at the moment. They’re not just witchdoctoring up the planet, they don’t set up barriers…". Again, contrary to what has become accepted fact, Bob Dylan never said that Paul Brady was 'one of the five artists worth getting out of bed for'. That was a paraphrase of the original quote by a journalist in an 80's UK music paper.

Since his Hard Station album (1981) Brady has been on various major labels until the late 90s when he started his own label, PeeBee Music. He released three albums in the 1990s, Trick or Treat, a remixed compilation of earlier songs 'Songs And Crazy Dreams' and Spirits Colliding. They were met with critical acclaim. Trick or Treat was on Fontana/Mercury Records, and received a lot of promotion. As a result, some critics considered it his debut and noted that the record benefited from the expertise of experienced studio musicians as well as producer Gary Katz, who worked with the rock group Steely Dan. Rolling Stone, after praising Brady's earlier but less-known solo records, called Trick or Treat Brady's "most compelling collection."

To date (Nov 2010) Brady has gone on to record several other albums (15 in total since he went solo in 1978) and collaborated with Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson to name but two. For a complete list of his many collaborations see his own website. In 2006 he collaborated with Cara Dillon on the track The Streets of Derry from her album After the Morning. He has also worked with Fiachra Trench.

He performed Gaelic songs as a character in the 2002 Matthew Barney film Cremaster 3. He also played tin whistle on the single "One" by Greg Pearle in 2008, from the album Beautiful You a collaboration between Greg Pearle and John Illsley. This song "One" featured in the 2008 film Anton, directed by Graham Cantwell.

Brady's fifteenth studio album 'Hooba Dooba' was released in March 2010.^[7] Widely acclaimed as one of his finest (see reviews on his website) he continues to tour, record and collaborate in a variety of creative projects around the globe.

Awards[link]

In 2009 Brady received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to traditional Irish music and songwriting.^[8][9]

Solo discography[link]

• Welcome Here Kind Stranger (1978)
• Hard Station (1981)
• True for You (1983)
• Back to the Centre (1985)
• Full Moon (1986)
• Primitive Dance (1987)
• Trick or Treat (1991)
• Songs & Crazy Dreams (Compilation) (1992)
• Spirits Colliding (1995)
• Nobody Knows: The Best of Paul Brady (Compilation) (1999)
• Oh What a World (2000)
• 'The Paul Brady Songbook' (album and DVD) Live recordings for RTE TV series (2002)
• 'The (Missing) Liberty Tapes' (2003) [Recorded Live at Liberty Hall, Dublin, July 21, 1978]
• Say What You Feel (2005)
• 'Hooba Dooba' (2010)
• 'Dancer In The Fire: A Paul Brady Anthology' (Compilation) (2012)

With Andy Irvine[link]

• Andy Irvine and Paul Brady (1976)

With Tommy Peoples[link]

• The High Part of the Road (1975)

With Matt Molloy and Tommy Peoples[link]

• Molloy, Brady, Peoples (1977)

With Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds[link]

• Fiddle Duet (1976)

With Andy McGann[link]

• It's A Hard Road to Travel (1977)

With John Kavanagh[link]

• The Green Crow Caws (1980)

DVDs[link]

• The Transatlantic Sessions Series 3 (2007) (various artists)
• The Paul Brady Songbook (2002)

External links[link]

• Paul Brady Homepage
• Paul Brady on Facebook
• Paul Brady on Twitter
• Paul Brady & Andy Irvine - Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore
• Paul Brady & Andy Irvine - The Lakes of Ponchartrain

References[link]

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since July 2011. It may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since December 2010.

Tom Sheridan is a Gaelic Athletic Association handball player from Ireland who represents his county Meath.^[1]

Past Achievements[link]

• 1979 U12 60 x 30 Doubles (with M McGovern)
• 1980 U12 60 x 30 Doubles (with M McGovern)
• 1982
  • U14 40 x 20 Doubles (with A McGovern)
  • U14 60 x 30 Doubles (with A McGovern)
• 1983
  • U16 40 x 20 Doubles (with A McGovern)
  • U16 60 x 30 Doubles (with A McGovern)
  • 1984
  • U16 40 x 20 Doubles (with D Gough)
  • U16 60 x 30 Doubles (with B Ferguson)
• 1985
  • Minor 40 x 20 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Minor 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Minor Hardball Singles
  • Minor Hardball Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 1986
  • Minor 60 x 30 S
  • Minor 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Minor Hardball Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 1987
  • Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with J McGovern)
  • Junior 60 x 30 Doubles (with J McGovern)
• 1988 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with J McGovern)
• 1989 Junior Hardball Doubles (with C McGovern)
• 1990 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with J McGovern)
• 1992
  • Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with J McGovern)
  • Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with J McGovern)
  • Senior Hardball Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 1993 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with J McGovern)
• 1994
  • Senior Hardball Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with J McGovern)
• 1996 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with E Jensen)
• 1997 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with E Jensen)
• 1998
  • Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Senior Hardball Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 1999 Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 2000 Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 2001 Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 2002
  • Senior 40 x 20 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
  • Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 2003
  • Senior 60 x 30 Singles
  • Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)
• 2004 Senior 60 x 30 Doubles (with W O’Connor)

References[link]

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