| Competition: | Irish Wallball Nationals |
| Governing Body: | GAA Handball |
| Venue: | Various (County Sligo, County Mayo, County Roscommon) |
| Location: | County Roscommon (2022-present) |
| Date: | early July (Annual Tournament) |
| Competitors: | 400 (2019) |
| Website: | http://gaahandball.ie |
| Men: | C. McElduff (2022)[1] |
| Women: | C. Casey (2022) |
The Irish Wallball Nationals is a wallball/one-wall handball tournament held annually in Ireland in early July.[2] [3] The tournament is the main wallball/One-wall handball on the Irish handball calendar.
The Nationals feature men's and women's singles; with Senior/Open, B, C, 23 and under (23&U), 19 and under (19&U), Masters and Juvenile grades. Since 2009, the games are normally held in a 5-court venue in the Sports Arena at Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar.[2] [3] [4] For 2022, the Irish Wallball Nationals were planned for Roscommon venues[5] as the Breaffy House Sports Arena was unavailable.[6]
The Irish Wallball Nationals is managed by GAA Handball, formerly the Irish Handball Council.
The event was first played in County Meath in 1997 before moving to Sligo where it was hosted[7] [8] for several years before moving to its current, multi-court venue, Breaffy House Hotel in County Mayo in 2009.[2] [9] The 2022 Nationals were scheduled to take place across three Roscommon venues - Kilglass GAC, Strokestown CS, and the Convent of Mercy Roscommon, as Breaffy House Arena is unavailable to host the tournament this year.[10] The three-court venue in Kilglass was set as the main venue for finals / premier grades.
Men's Open:
| Year | Champion | County |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | P. Hall | |
| 1998 | R. McCarthy Snr | |
| 1999 | D. King | |
| 2000 | D. Keegan | |
| 2001 | D. King | |
| 2002 | D. King | |
| 2003 | C. Browne | |
| 2004 | D. Keegan | |
| 2005 | D. King | |
| 2006 | R. McCarthy | |
| 2007 | C. Shanks | |
| 2008 | P. Brady | |
| 2009 | C. Shanks | |
| 2010 | C. Shanks | |
| 2011 | H. Mendez | |
| 2012 | R. McCarthy | |
| 2013 | H. Mendez | |
| 2014 | C. McElduff | |
| 2015 | C. McElduff | |
| 2016 | M. Mulkerrins | |
| 2017 | C. McElduff[11] | |
| 2018 | C. McElduff[12] [13] | |
| 2019 | M. Mulkerrins[14] | |
| 2020 | The competition did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. | |
| 2021 | The competition did not take place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. | |
| 2022 | C. McElduff[15] | |
Women's Open:
| Year | Champion | County |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | F. Mee | |
| 1998 | L. Doolan | |
| 1999 | No Competition | |
| 2000 | No Competition | |
| 2001 | No Competition | |
| 2002 | No Competition | |
| 2003 | No Competition | |
| 2004 | M. Kennedy | |
| 2005 | F. O'Reilly | |
| 2006 | M. Rushe | |
| 2007 | A. Prendiville | |
| 2008 | M. Rushe | |
| 2009 | M. Rushe | |
| 2010 | L. Havern | |
| 2011 | K. McConney | United States |
| 2012 | L. Havern | |
| 2013 | L. Havern | |
| 2014 | M. McMahon | |
| 2015 | C. Casey | |
| 2016 | L. Havern[17] | |
| 2017 | M. McMahon | |
| 2018 | M. McMahon | |
| 2019 | C. Ni Churraoin | |
| 2020 | The competition did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. | |
| 2021 | The competition did not take place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. | |
| 2022 | C. Casey | |