Toal family's road bowling dynasty continues with Dervla's sixth Senior crown

Whenever the sport of Road Bowling is mentioned, the name Toal invariably comes to the fore. Few families have successfully endured at any competitive sport than that of this extended Grange family. The name Toal has become synonymous with road bowling, particularly in Armagh and Cork for well over half a century.

Brian Toal was a founder member of the Grange road bowling club in 1958 and later became Honorary Secretary of the Northern Branch of Bol Chumann Na hEireann for the period from 1963 to 1968. He was a member of the northern delegation at the historic meeting in Bandon, Co Cork, on Easter Sunday 1963 when agreement was reached to institute the All-Ireland road bowls championships.

During the fifties and throughout the sixties he was bowling correspondent for all the various local media. He has been a prolific writer on all aspects of the sport for journals and official programmes at local and national level. The launch by Brian in 1996 of 'Road Bowling in Ireland' was an unqualified success and remains the standard reference point for all major events of note prior to its publication. An authoritative and enthralling edition in which the author covered every aspect of the sport.

Whilst Brian Toal's invaluable contribution to the sport was largely in an administrative role, his brother Aidan came to prominence in 1967 when he won the Ulster Senior Championship. Both men and their siblings could not have hoped for a better qualified guide to the sport. Their father Mick Toal was steeped in the tradition and played the sport of bowling until he was in his seventies.

Aidan Toal remained a top senior player for three decades, nevertheless success at national level would elude him, however honours did come his way with an All-Ireland veterans title at Dundurrow, Co Cork in 1996. By this time, the next generation of the Toal clan had firmly established themselves on the Ulster and All-Ireland Championship stage.

Michael Toal by then had won five of his record ten senior All-Ireland titles. The only player to win the U18 and senior grades back to back, he would go on to dominate senior bowling until his retirement in 2010. His brother Martin would win three underage and two junior titles.

Success on the bowling roads especially at Senior level wasn't solely confined to the male members of the Toal family. Indeed, Eileen Toal, wife of Aidan, was a competent Senior player at the formation of the women's Senior championship in 1981. However it was daughter Rosheen who took Armagh's first senior women's title in 1985 with victory over Gretta Cormican after having won four Ulster Senior finals in a row.

Her sister Dervla, the first All-Ireland intermediate winner, won back to back senior titles in 2004-05 and repeated the feat again in 2008-09 before going on to win a sixth Senior crown in this year's final at Ballinagree.

Amid this unprecedented run of success for one family, a new and ever successful generation of road bowlers was emerging. The Toal dynasty was expanding and so with it was a new dominance of the sport. The surnames may well have changed nevertheless the All-Ireland titles kept on heading out the Moy Road.

Thomas Mackle, son of Rosheen Toal-Mackle, made his Senior debut in 2013 a year after having won the All-Ireland Intermediate title. He took the first of his three Senior titles to date, with victory over Killian Kingston in 2016. Thomas also enjoyed a successful underage All-Ireland campaign. Thomas' sister Siobhan also won an All-Ireland Intermediate title in 2016.

Brothers Ethan and Colm Rafferty, another two members of the extended Toal clan, combined their footballing and bowling skills to keep the remarkable record of All-Ireland bowling titles to the fore. Both men had amassed a number of underage titles before making the breakthrough to the senior ranks.

Colm took the Senior title in 2024 and Ethan repeated the feat in 2025, 12 months after winning the Intermediate crown. Both of their brothers Odhran and Brendan have also tasted All-Ireland success. With Thomas Mackle having won the 2023 senior showpiece, it was certainly a spectacular senior treble for this bowling fraternity.

2026 would further enhance the success enjoyed by this remarkable bowling family. Dervla Toal-Mallon's sixth Senior crown at Ballinagree in July set in sequence a unique family treble that will surely stand the test of time. Daughter Connie, just a few weeks later won the Under 16 Ladies title when she defeated reigning Under 18 Champion Meabh Cuinnea at Tassagh. Connie's sibling, Eva made it an unforgettable year for this sporting Grange family when she took the Under 12 title with a tremendous last shot win at Madden in August.

Alice Mackle's victory in the women's Junior grade at Ballinagree ensured that it was certainly a year to remember for this cailini.

This hugely successful close-knit bowling fraternity have amassed close to fifty All-Ireland titles and have led the way for the past quarter of a century in terms of Ulster and All-Ireland titles. The emergence of a newer younger generation throughout the underage ranks will undoubtedly ensure success for the foreseeable future.