'Skipping was an acquired skill and two ropes could be used at the same time.'

'Skipping was an acquired skill and two ropes could be used at the same time.'

Theresa Byrne describes the games she used to play in the playground. In particular skipping and hopscotch.

Theresa Byrne

Trinity College Dublin

1955

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Theresa Byrne

Childhood and Early Life

Life Story

Dublin

1950s

Playground games played were skipping, chasing, hide and seek and hopscotch. Skipping was an acquired skill and two ropes could be used at the same time. For this game, timing was important. You had to be sharp and watchful so as not to miss your turn. Usually when this game was being played out, many different songs were sung while the ropes were turning. Songs such as _��don't eat Kennedys Bread' or _��Johnston Mooney and O'Brien's'. another one was _��Down the alley-o where we played relive-o' and so on. For the game of hopscotch or, sometimes, it was referred to as _��beds' used nugget shoe polish tins and empty Malone's lavender wax policy or Cardinal red polish tines were all sourced and kept for the game of hopscotch. In some cases, this game was also referred to as _��beds'. The larger tins were much easier to negotiate as you gently kicked the tin carefully into the space marked out with chalk, with your toe, while balancing on one leg.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)