Postcard of the Bowling Alley during construction 1963
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Stillorgan Bowl (The Bowler)
In December 1963, members of the Press converged on Stillorgan for the Launch of Tenpin bowling at the Stillorgan Bowl in Ireland and they were all invited to have a go. This was the culmination of four years of planning by John Francis (Jackie) Murphy whose parents were the owners of the Abbey Cinema and Abbey Ballroom in Drogheda. The story goes that Jackie and his family were on holidays in Switzerland when they heard a strange noise coming from the basement. When they went downstairs to investigate, they discovered a small, four-lane bowling alley, and they thought they would bring the idea back to Ireland.
Having seen bowling alleys in operation in Switzerland, Jackie visited the United States in 1960 with his wife Dr Catherine Hilary (Joy) O'Sullivan and noted that tenpin bowling was a great sport for the whole family and reckoned it would go down well in Ireland and he hoped that Irish Bowlers would soon be taking part in international tournaments.
Ground was broken in December 1962 and in just a year the Stillorgan Bowl was opened at a cost of almost 250K . It had a snack bar, a meeting toom for leagues, a shop which sold bowling equipment and seating for spectators but most importantly it had 24 lanes equipped by the American Machine and Foundry Company. It had automatic spotters, under-lane ball return and score projectors. The Bowl initially opened at 10 daily and closed at midnight and the charge for bowling was 3/6 per adult, per game. Children's pricing was 2/- and spectators were free. You could hire shoes for 6d but the game proved so popular that people bought their own shoes and you could get a ball modelled to their needs and hire a locker on the premises.
The building itself was built by Drogheda company called Tredagh Building company based in Drogheda and project managed by Noel McCormack. It had a clear roof span of 200 feet with no supports. A mural just inside the door was created by Oliver McCarron, artist and architect. Jackie hedged his bets and if the bowling didn't work, then the building could be rented out as a factory. The Stillorgan Bowl was built using new aircraft hangar technology, so that the roof rested on the four walls and there were no internal pillars,
wood was bonded with thermosetting resins.
Jackie together with his first manager, Jimmy Kinsella, brought in international instructors to help people get used to the new game, and gradually it became a major attraction as Irish bowlers took part in international competitions. Among the best known was Paul Magee, son of the sports commentator Jimmy. The Irish Tenpin Bowling Association (ITBA) was founded in 1964 and is the governing body for the sport in Ireland. Aer Lingus Tenpin Bowling Club was set up during 1964. They entered teams in the Stillorgan Winter leagues and eventually ran an Aer Lingus Inter-departmental Summer League and ALSAA Bowl opened in 1983. Over the years Stillorgan Bowl played host to top international bowlers and occasionally a rock star like Bruce Springsteen dropped in.
In 1989 Stillorgan Bowl underwent a revamp with a 20,000sq ft extension added at a cost 1.5 million. This added 12 extra lanes and also allowed wheelchair access. By this time 750 people were playing per day and Bernard Gibbons was the manager of The Bowl. Jackie's wife Joy was now the proprietor, his son John (Con) was the chairman. Patrice his daughter was managing director and another daughter Antonella was in charge of promotions and the running of the on-site sports and equipment shop. The new Terrazzo restaurant/wine bar on the 1st floor was serving Italian food and it was open from 11am to midnight under the management of Tom Greenan. The new Woodlands Snooker Room had retained Richard Dunne as its professional.
Con & Patrice Murphy also ran a travel company from the site - Star Travel later know as United Travel. At one stage the Stillorgan Bowl was open 24 hours a day. The café specialised in an all day Irish breakfast, served with chips, beans and a large mug of tea.
In 2006 Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett’s Treasury Holdings paid €65 million to acquire it.
It was rebranded the Stillorgan Leisureplex in 2012 with snooker, pool, Quasar, and an adventure play area called the Zoo. The facility was used by a number of clubs and community groups including several Special Olympics clubs.
In 2016 Kennedy Wilson bought the 2.5-acre site for €15 million.
In May 2021 the purpose-built bowling alley was demolished to be replaced by 232 apartments in blocks of up to eight storeys.
© June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2018, updated November 2021
Having seen bowling alleys in operation in Switzerland, Jackie visited the United States in 1960 with his wife Dr Catherine Hilary (Joy) O'Sullivan and noted that tenpin bowling was a great sport for the whole family and reckoned it would go down well in Ireland and he hoped that Irish Bowlers would soon be taking part in international tournaments.
Ground was broken in December 1962 and in just a year the Stillorgan Bowl was opened at a cost of almost 250K . It had a snack bar, a meeting toom for leagues, a shop which sold bowling equipment and seating for spectators but most importantly it had 24 lanes equipped by the American Machine and Foundry Company. It had automatic spotters, under-lane ball return and score projectors. The Bowl initially opened at 10 daily and closed at midnight and the charge for bowling was 3/6 per adult, per game. Children's pricing was 2/- and spectators were free. You could hire shoes for 6d but the game proved so popular that people bought their own shoes and you could get a ball modelled to their needs and hire a locker on the premises.
The building itself was built by Drogheda company called Tredagh Building company based in Drogheda and project managed by Noel McCormack. It had a clear roof span of 200 feet with no supports. A mural just inside the door was created by Oliver McCarron, artist and architect. Jackie hedged his bets and if the bowling didn't work, then the building could be rented out as a factory. The Stillorgan Bowl was built using new aircraft hangar technology, so that the roof rested on the four walls and there were no internal pillars,
wood was bonded with thermosetting resins.
Jackie together with his first manager, Jimmy Kinsella, brought in international instructors to help people get used to the new game, and gradually it became a major attraction as Irish bowlers took part in international competitions. Among the best known was Paul Magee, son of the sports commentator Jimmy. The Irish Tenpin Bowling Association (ITBA) was founded in 1964 and is the governing body for the sport in Ireland. Aer Lingus Tenpin Bowling Club was set up during 1964. They entered teams in the Stillorgan Winter leagues and eventually ran an Aer Lingus Inter-departmental Summer League and ALSAA Bowl opened in 1983. Over the years Stillorgan Bowl played host to top international bowlers and occasionally a rock star like Bruce Springsteen dropped in.
In 1989 Stillorgan Bowl underwent a revamp with a 20,000sq ft extension added at a cost 1.5 million. This added 12 extra lanes and also allowed wheelchair access. By this time 750 people were playing per day and Bernard Gibbons was the manager of The Bowl. Jackie's wife Joy was now the proprietor, his son John (Con) was the chairman. Patrice his daughter was managing director and another daughter Antonella was in charge of promotions and the running of the on-site sports and equipment shop. The new Terrazzo restaurant/wine bar on the 1st floor was serving Italian food and it was open from 11am to midnight under the management of Tom Greenan. The new Woodlands Snooker Room had retained Richard Dunne as its professional.
Con & Patrice Murphy also ran a travel company from the site - Star Travel later know as United Travel. At one stage the Stillorgan Bowl was open 24 hours a day. The café specialised in an all day Irish breakfast, served with chips, beans and a large mug of tea.
In 2006 Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett’s Treasury Holdings paid €65 million to acquire it.
It was rebranded the Stillorgan Leisureplex in 2012 with snooker, pool, Quasar, and an adventure play area called the Zoo. The facility was used by a number of clubs and community groups including several Special Olympics clubs.
In 2016 Kennedy Wilson bought the 2.5-acre site for €15 million.
In May 2021 the purpose-built bowling alley was demolished to be replaced by 232 apartments in blocks of up to eight storeys.
© June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2018, updated November 2021