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Marley Boules Club founded 1981
Myself (Tom Ohle) and a friend were chatting about my French holiday(my 25 year visit)and the subject of Petanque came up. As |Bob had a set of boules we decided to give the game a go.Problem where to play. We tried park footpaths-too dangerous! The next best place was grass. Various areas were surveyed and Marley Park was chosen. Bob and I had been playing for a few weeks when George Brooks stopped by and we invited him to have a go. He was hooked there and then and subsequently became a first rate player. We three scouted around and collected two neighbours-Len and Joe. Eventually our group grew to 25-30 members and the Marley Boules Club was established.
Marley was played upon for a few years until the members of the club felt that Rathfarnham was a bit far from Dublin centre As bob and I lived in fortfield area Bushy Park was the obvious choice and we played on grass there. On my annual holiday in Cannes France I took measurements and some samples of pitch finishes as used for the boules pitches there. Bob and I brought these to the attention of Dublin Corporation. Eventually the corporation decided to build the present pitch.
The Marley Boules Club playes on Monday’s Wednesdays and Fridays from 10.00 to 12.00. new members are welcome. No fees and no charges apply.
Submitted by Tom Ohle age 94, probably the oldest boule player in Ireland.
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