Unbeatable: Father Tom Jones, Handball Supremo

Father Tom Jones, who was born in Tralee in 1868 and died as parish priest of Glenbeigh-Glencar in 1950, was the best handball player Ireland has ever known. By the time he was eighteen he had beaten all challengers to become the country’s handball champion, winning purses of up to £400 along the way. From 1887-95 he was unbeaten in competition.

Jones was happy to make money from fees for his sporting prowess and although he was not himself a gambler he profited from the gambles of others at a time when betting was part and parcel of handball.

Once ordained, Jones served as a priest and played handball in Australia, the USA and Canada before returning to Kerry diocese. Celebrated as an all-round sportsman and gymnast, he also played a multitude of musical instruments, among them the uilleann pipes, and mastered several languages, translating classic German and French texts into Irish for publication.

This book features many stories about Jones, both personal and sporting, that have passed into legend in Kerry and further afield.

Unbeatable is a book for players and lovers of handball, for the wider GAA community and for those interested in local history. It has the support of the Irish Handball Council (GAA Hansball Ireland), which recently celebrated the centenary of its affiliation with the GAA in 1924.