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A history series 
King & Queen of the Roads Festival 

An 11-part series detailing the history of the King & Queen of the Roads festival in Ballincurrig, east Cork which reached its 35 year milestone in 2019. Below, each part has the published 'Southern Star' article along with the original piece

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Part 1 

LEAP LEGEND DALY WAS CROWNED THE VERY FIRST KING OF THE ROADS 

Details the very first King of the Roads, where Leap legend Bill Daly was crowned champion in 1985 and '86

Featured in The Southern Star on 17.04.21

Click here to view a video clip from the RTÉ Archives that featured the first King of the Road Final

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Part 2 

KING BUCKLEY REIGNED ON THE ROADS 

A refection on the festival from 1988 to the early 90's where James Buckley, four-time winner and nine-time finalist won his first King title in 1989

Featured in The Southern Star on 24.04.21

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Part 3 

HAT-TRICK HERO BUTLER WAS THE UNDISPUTED KING IN EARLY 90s

In Part 3 we recall the undisputed King, Pat Butler's dominance at the King of the Roads. Womens bowling was introduced to the festival in 1995 when Susan Cullen partnered by Joe Shortt, got the better of Cork's Kathleen Cooney & Gerald Burke

Featured in The Southern Star on 01.05.21

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Part 4

HAT-TRICK HERO BUTLER WAS THE UNDISPUTED KING IN EARLY 90s

In 1996 the King of the Roads festival would become, as we know it today, the King & Queen of the Roads with the women's competition bringing an exciting new addition to the festival weekend

Featured in The Southern Star on 08.05.21

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Part 5 

GRETTA CORMICAN'S CORONATION CAPPED A LEGENDARY CAREER 

Part 5 highlights two of the greats, Bill Daly & Gretta Cormican, where Daly took glory in '99 and 2000 and Cormican in 2000

Featured in The Southern Star on 15.05.21

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Part 6 

NORTHERN LIGHTS SHINE THE BRIGHTEST AT 2001 FESTIVAL 

The 2001 festival saw a Northern double as Michael Toal was crowned King and Susan Cullen took Queen glory. This part also highlights all the action in the festival up to 2004

Featured in The Southern Star on 22.05.21

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Part 7

2007 FESTIVAL MARKED DAWN OF A NEW ERA

Philip O' Donovan took King glory in 2005 and '06 with Catriona O' Farrell taking the Queen title for the fourth time in '05. The 2007 King & Queen festival marked the dawn of a new era, producing champions who would leave an indelible mark over the next decade

Featured in The Southern Star on 29.05.21

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Part 8 

DUTCH GOLD AS TEEN SENSATION TULK ANNOUNCED ARRIVAL WITH GREAT WIN 

The 2008 King final saw the Murphy brothers meet in the final, with younger brother Aidan taking the title over David. Marie Noonan took the Queen title in the same year. 2009 saw the teen sensation Tulk win Queen of the Roads, while David Murphy won three King of the Roads title from 2009 to 2011

Featured in The Southern Star on 05.06.21

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Part 9

COPPINGER AND TULK DELIVERED IN 2012

Part 9 highlights the epic contests that took place between 2012 and 2014, with Carmel Ryan defeating Silke Tulk in the 2013 Queen decider and Martin Coppinger claiming his first King title in 2012

Featured in The Southern Star on 12.06.21

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Part 10 

MAESTROS MACKLE AND MALLON WERE UNTOUCHABLE FOR THREE-YEAR REIGN 

The dominance of Mackle and Mallon is highlighted in the second last part of this series, with the duo claiming the King & Queen titles respectively from 2015 to 2017

Featured in The Southern Star on 19.06.21

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Part 11 

BOWLING ROYALTY MACKLE ENSURES HIS LEGEND WITH STUNNING FOUR-IN-A-ROW 

In the final part of the series we reflect on the 2018 and 2019 installments of the hugely popular competition

Featured in The Southern Star on 26.06.21

Ból Chumann na hÉireann 

celebrating 69 years since its foundation on 20th November 1954

contact: bolchumannweb@gmail.com

©2024 Ból Chumann na hÉireann

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