Howler

I was the mad one,
The auld road bowler,
They knew by the flame of my hair,
And the glint from the arching curve,
Of the 28oz’s of burnished steel,

Howler, I named it,
The tangled weed rover,
Hero of a thousand, thousand matches,
From Bellcarra to Boholla,
Aughagower to Cordarragh,

Setting flame to the rough roads of 1985,
Before I was reduced to embers,
Beneath the gaze of the brothers Hughes,
And the legend Carney.

by Ruairí de Barra

From the world famous Five Words contest which typically kicks off a wonderful evening with Ó’Bhéal in Cork. The words that evening: Flame/Glint/Howler/Rover/Bowler

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This photograph is of Owen Hughes from Lankill, near Westport competing in the sport of road bowling. It is was taken by Eric Luke, and I use it at his kind permission.

Please visit https://ericluke.com/ and see his other incredible work.

From Eric’s website.
Eric was born in Dalkey, South County Dublin, Eric Luke has always had a passion for photography. He joined the Irish Press Group as a staff photographer in 1973, following a brief stint working in the darkrooms as a photographic printer. Seventeen years later, in 1990, he moved to the Irish Times, covering major news and feature stories both at home and abroad, including two World Cups, five Olympic Games, and assignments in Somalia, Kenya, India, Sydney, Washington, and London. However, his main focus lies at home in Ireland, adding to his personal collection of photographs, documenting the many changes in the Irish people and countryside. Eric has won numerous awards, including the World Press Photo News Award and PPAI Photographer of the Year, over a forty-year career in photojournalism.