In your editor’s youth, there was only one soccer team always in contention for every trophy. That, of course was Rockview Rangers, which played its home games on the ‘Ropewalk’ behind High Street.
Brian Naughton supplied this photo, of a few of Barny Fitzpatrick’s youth team of 1967. Their names are printed below.
Just as Brian’s email arrived to me, so too did one from Steve Edgar, answering my query as to what exactly was a ‘Rope-Walk’.
Steve’s forebear, one Joseph Edgar was the Ropemaker of High Street in 1819. His father before him had been ropemaker in Lower Water Street.
ROPE MAKING NEEDED A LOT OF SPACE TO ALLOW A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF ROPE TO BE PRODUCED. THE SEPARATE STRANDS OF ROPE WERE TWISTED BY A WHEELED CARRIER AND KEPT UNDER TENSION AS THE OPERATOR WALKED BACKWARDS TWISTING THE ROPE. THE LONGEST IN ENGLAND WAS A BUILDING 300ft LONG. THIS IS A ROPE WALK. THE MORE JOINS IN A ROPE THE LIKLIER IT WAS TO EITHER SNAP OR JAMB IN THE BLOCKS ON BOARD A SHIP.
Our thanks to both Brian and Steve.
Back: L-R: Damien Murphy: P J McEvoy: Maurice McEvoy: Gerard McFee
Front: L-R: Gabriel O’Hare: Paul Fearon: Michael Fearon