Columbus Irish: Irish Road Bowling for the Greater Columbus Irish Cultural Foundation
By: Molly Truex
October 30 was a beautiful day for the Greater Columbus Irish Cultural Foundation (GCICF) annual Irish Road Bowling event.
The day started with cold and rain but cleared off to be warm and clear. Participants actually took off layers as they rolled their steel balls down the roads of Deer Creek State Park towards the finish. As events go, there isn’t another quite as fun and refreshing.
I might be biased, but spending the morning with your friends in the open air with some friendly competition is hard to beat. This year’s winners came from West Virginia, the Pre-Gamers, and they have taken the trophy most every year they’ve attended.
Irish Road Bowling gets its origins from 1600s Ireland, when Irish patriots stole cannon balls from the English and rolled them back to their camp. From there, its first official match was held in 1928.
The first GCICF Irish Road Bowling event took place in 2014, with seven teams and was just a fun afternoon with friends. Two years later it became a fund raiser and brought in twelve teams. In the five years since, the event has brought in thousands of dollars for the Foundation.
The GCICF was originally part of the Shamrock Club of Columbus, but separated in 2004 to continue supporting Irish culture and activities in the Greater Columbus area. If you would like to donate to the GCICF and help it support the many scholarships and events they host, please check out their website at https://columbusirishculture.com/, or give them a follow on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
*Molly lives on the east side of Columbus with her family and two difficult dogs, and has been a member of the Shamrock Club for the past six years.