Games I Play

transcribed at

The Games I Play  [duchas:4607080]

The games I play

We play many games in school during play time.  The favourite game of the infants is 'high gates' or called by some 'frog in the middle'.  First, all who play line up and somebody says the Alphabet and who ever 'Z' falls on will be the frog.  Then all join hands and form a ring.  The frog jumps into the middle and closes her eyes.  She then advances with outstretched hands and catches some person while every body shouts 'jump up the frog in the middle'.  Then the person who has been caught runs in and out through the ring and catches the frog.  This goes on until each person has a turn playing frog.

Another game is 'Thread the needle Dan'.  This is played in the following manner:  two girls join hands and take some names for instance, apple and orange, unknown to the other players.  Then the others join hands and pass under the joined hands of the two girls singing 'Thread the needle Dan, let them all pass by, but the very last man catch him if you can.'  Whoever is caught

The Games I Play  [duchas:4607081]

is always the last person on the line.  She is then asked which she prefers apple orange, if she orange she stands behind the orange, the same applies to apple.  Of course the other players are not allowed to hear the names.  This goes on until all the players are used up.  Then the apples pull the oranges and whichever side is strongest wings the tug-o-war.

Another great favourite is jack stones, this game is played with five small round stones.  The names of the different parts are:  'Itands, Scatters, Round-hand, Trenches, halfs, Tulls, Maulleens, Ruckideens, Bob-ups, Bob-downs, Bob-threes, Bob-twos, Bob-ones, Bob-nothings, but the Turf, Bring it home, put in the ducks, put in the cows.  Pick an egg and lay an egg.  Thick, Thin, Skim, cross-roads, Grab-cat and choices.

Kathleen Gannon,
Keelogues, Creggs,
Co Galway