Sir, – Éanna Brophy’s interesting piece on children’s street games in An Irishman’s Diary (April 18th) rightly commented on the excellent research and fieldwork done by Iona and Peter Opie in British cities and the Shetland Islands. However, the ground-breaking “All In, All In”, by Dublin City Librarian Eilís Brady (1975) also provides a valuable source and living archive for street games played in Ireland.
I was pleased to hear that a teacher confirmed that those street games are still alive and well in our schoolyards and playgrounds. – Yours, etc,
DEIRDRE O’DALY JUDGE,
Dún Laoghaire,
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Co Dublin.
Sir, – As children in Kingscourt, Co Cavan, the rhymes cited by Éanna Brophy were in daily use.
There we had the extensive woods of the Cabra Estate as a playground – the woods almost touching the back gardens of Main Street.
We played our games, built houses and castles in our own preferred areas that we named the Bluebell Wood, the Crooked Elms and the Limekiln.
The latter was deeper into the woods than we dared, but was where our brothers presided with their friends at some sort of secret gang initiation from which we girls were excluded.
In another more part of the huge estate, a huge oak played host to myriad birthday picnics, while on either side the Ladies’ Lake, the Ice House, the Wishing Well and the river dammed for swimming provided enough magic for a lifetime.
Perhaps the woods appeared to be a less enchanting place to our parents because appearing home after the designated time incurred admonishment far beyond our innocent understanding! – Yours, etc,
MARION WALSH,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
