Saint Patrick's College

Pair of mass-concrete ball alleys, c.1930, with rubble stone wall to south-west. Now disused.

This pair of ball alleys, which is now disused, is an attractive feature in the grounds of Saint Patrick’s College – it is one of a pair of handball alleys in the grounds, with another example to north-west (11803122/KD-05-03-122). Once a common sight across the country many of these structures have subsequently been demolished, which means that the example at Maynooth is an important and increasingly rare survival. Of considerable social and cultural importance, having been promoted as part of the cultural nation-building of the early Irish Republic, the handball alley is also of vernacular interest, being a building type that is indigenous to the country. The construction of the building using mass-concrete is also of some technical/engineering merit.