Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a whole new way!

Irish road bowling has been popular in Ireland for over 300 years, and now it is coming to Central New York!

The Friends of Historic Onondaga Lake (FoHOL) are sponsoring the region’s first ever Irish Road Bowling Tournament on Sunday, March 14, 2010.

What is Irish Road Bowling?

Part golf, part bocce, part bowling. . . The rules are simple - hurl a small 28 oz. cannonball along a two mile “country road.” Players must throw underhanded. Scoring is similar to golf - the least amount of throws needed to complete the course wins. Teams of four will compete against other teams to see who can cross the finish line in the fewest number of throws.

Here’s a few bowling terms to get you started...

• Bowl or Bullet - the 28 oz. small cannonball
• Butt - the throwing mark on the road. To step over the mark before releasing the bowl is to “break butt.”
• Faugh a Ballach! or Faugh a Ballagh! - Clear the Way! A traditional Irish battle cry
• Kitter-Paw - a left-handed thrower.
• Stylish Bowler - a bowler with a smooth well-coordinated delivery.
• Craic - fun or good time

When & Where

Sunday, March 14, 2010 at Noon
Shoreline Walking Trail
Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool NY

Teams will “tee off” at Willow Bay, and the outdoor fun will continue along the scenic two mile route capped off by mid-afternoon awards and a grand celebration at the Barking Gull across the way from the Griffin Visitor Center.

Prizes

First Prize in each of the three categories... 4-man/4-woman/Co-ed

• $200 cash per team
• Free entry into the 2011 Irish Road Bowling Tournament

Second & Third Place prizes will be awarded in each category

Registration

Registration is full... but everyone is invited to cheer on their favorite team during the tournament and head over to the Barking Gull (located at the southern end of Onondaga Lake Park near the Griffin Visitor Center) for the awards celebration and after party, featuring the acoustic sounds of Prime Time, from 2 - 5 p.m. Hot dogs, burgers, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for sale.

Click here to download Rules & Regulations »

Support

Thanks to our sponsors:

• The Retreat
• The Barking Gull
• OnBev
• Saranac Irish Stout
• Saranac Irish Red Ale
• McSorleys
• Killians Irish Red
• Coca Cola
• TK99

All proceeds from this event support the vounteer efforts of FoHOL in producing recreational and educational programs at one of America’s Top Ten Heritage Parks.

For More Info:

Contact parks@ongov.net or call Buffy at (315) 380-7086.

Click here to download Rules & Regulations »