You know if handball was a more well known sport, Charly Shanks journey to become crowned All Ireland champion handballer in 2017.
Would have been made, into a feature length documentary by now.
Charly had a few heartbreaking Senior All Ireland final defeats, before finally reaching his own personal sporting holy grail that year.
What people don’t realise is that was also the Year Armagh GAA in actual fact, won its second first tier All Ireland senior title in any grade.
In football,hurling,camogie or rounders.
If you hear of some other adult from Armagh with an all Ireland medal, it simply won’t be a senior.
There is only one in the handball, code now we have, two All Ireland senior football championship wins, and one in handball taking the total to three.
And before you write to the editor, don’t talk about club titles.
Listen to the president of the GAA as he announces the all Ireland final champions.
“This year’s All Ireland senior football champions”
In the club final he or she will say
All Ireland senior club champions.
Charly Shanks win was announced as All Ireland senior Handball champion in 2017.
Handball has been going in this town for over 200 years. Yes 200 years.
See the documentary on YouTube channel by myself Jimbo Conway and Charly last year.
When I met Charly later in the year, that he won the All Ireland, at the ABC council awards.
To which I was invited as a guest by Keith Dewhurst.
I was very familiar with Charly Shanks journey. I had been following him since I was told about him by his uncle.
I don’t know how the conversation was initiated all those years ago.
I can only guess it was myself that started it.
I always attempt to find a common interest conversation point.
In lurgan of course that is usually sport. My first gambit is of course Armagh.
If I get a bite then, that’s me safe for a half hour conversation with a stranger.
A safe place a bit of craic and someone likely to join in. While I could see that Danny I think his name was knowledable
I could see interest waning.
He then said I’m a handball man myself.
I had a decent level of handball knowledge being close friends with Antrim hurlers and handballers Eamon and Paul Graham.
They were the ones that had educated me on Lurgan handball.
So I asked Danny had he heard of Ginger Haddock. Danny then knew that I knew a bit and his eyes lit up and away we went.
I had a personal hour long seminar on Lurgan handball. People on the bar were wondering why the young man and older man.
Who had just met where engaged in a deep conversation.
It was only towards the end that he overcame his modesty, and told me about his nephew Charly
He told me to keep an eye out for his progress and I did.
I watched his progress I watched his heartbreaking All Ireland final defeats.
He was the Mayo of Handball.
Then he did the business and he killed the curse .
Curse my arse I will explain in another article how Charlie learned from every source he could, like the sports science dept in UUJ.
Going to the states etc etc.
So we are back at the ABC awards and I approached Charly
He knew who I was I’d written several articles on him.
Charly being the Charly who has become my friend shocked and delighted me by going into depth about my own Channel swimming efforts . Me trying to focus on his sport him trying to focus on my North Channel attempt.
Charly wanted to concede the conversation topic. He was with his wife and I was trying to edge away as I knew either way we were in for a long conversation, and his wife would be left looking around the table as mine has so often.
What Charly didn’t know was, he had just made my night. Charly knew all about my efforts.
He had turned the tables, he didn’t realise the compliment he had given me.
He didn’t realise that I held him in the same esteem as the Marsden’s the Geezers etc of this world.
I walked away feeling ten foot tall just like any of his handballers on lake street.
Young or old.
The conversation? Well it’s been ongoing and I hope it never ends.
Written on the day that Clann Eireann ladies compete in the All Ireland semi final
I hope they did the business.
Like one Charles Shanks esquire.
