05/08/2019
A panoramic of Kilkee’s horseshoe bay would be incomplete without the seaside town’s distinctive Westend ‘white walls’.
The white walls, or ‘alleys’ as they are known locally, have a long history on Kilkee’s shore; the latest instalment of which was played out over the August Bank Holiday in the 2019 Racket’s Competition.
Where the Marine Bay Road rises to Clifton Terrace along Kilkee’s West End, the stone wall separating sea from street level grows taller. Few would see this surface, cleaned or ruined twice a day by the tide, as an ideal court for a totally unique game.
Rackets’ most recognisable relative is squash but the charm, skill and quirkiness of the Kilkee game lies in the ball’s unpredictable bounce on the court’s sandy surface. Teams play in pairs, attempting to return the ball off the wall, within the tramlines and beyond the reach of their opposition.
The game has been popular with generations of Kilkee locals and holidaymakers, including some famous alumni. Irish actor and musician Richard “Dickie” Harris, popularly known for his role as Dumbledore in the first cinematic instalments of the Harry Potter saga, is said to have won the competition four times in a row, from 1948-1951, and was immortalised in a statue playing the game he loved next to popular swimming spot the Po***ck Holes.
In recent times, the Rackets walls have taken on a newfound significance along Kilkee’s bay-line view. Cuban revolutionist Che Guevara, who stayed in Kilkee’s Strand Hotel when his plane between Havana and Moscow was grounded at Shannon airport, has been painted in a mural on the first wall, in the iconic stencil first outlined by artist Jim Fitzpatrick working a summer job in Kilkee. Guevara is reported to have wanted to see the sea, no doubt thinking on the same North Atlantic Ocean that he would have looked upon from his own seaside town of Tavarà, Cuba.
Despite fond memories of the game, a lapse in the organisation of the competition in the noughties put the game’s legacy in danger of becoming a fond but forgotten memory. Luckily, the competition was reformed, wise heads recalled the rules and, soon after, the Michael Kenneally Perpetual Trophy was located. The cup is a brilliant relic to one of Kilkee’s most longstanding and popular pastimes.
In the preceding 5 years, a great deal of credit must be given to Limerick local Eoghan O’Byrne, who has revitalised the competition and, in the meantime, created a formidable winning partnership with partner Paul Conway. Warm thanks is also due to Clare County Council for the upkeep of the white walls, although so exposed to the elements, keeping them painted and plastered brilliantly white.
The final of the 2019 Rackets Competition was closely fought between the pairings of Joe Gleeson and John Dinneen up against brother duo Denis and Brendan Giltenane. Cousins Joe and John won in two sets and look forward to building the competition next year.
It’s fantastic that in recent times the annual Kilkee Racket’s Tournament has been reinstated within Kilkee’s summer calendar. The tournament will take place again in 2020, an exact date, fittingly, will be decided by the tide. Details to follow.
