School: Bán-Tír (C.) (roll number 2804)
- Location:
- Banteer, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Síle, Bean Uí Dheadaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0361, Page 747
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- XML School: Bán-Tír (C.)
- XML Page 747
- XML “[…] Boys (Game)”
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- This game is played by the school girls & boys in our district. To play it there must be two rows of children with five, six or seven in each row. One row must move away and not look, on any account, at the other row.
The children in the row that remains stationary perform some action such as imitation washing of hands, combing hair, cleaning finger nails, sewing or knitting. Then the row of children who moved aside return and while they coming back the stationary row repeat -
"Here come seven little [...] Boys looking for work. "
The others answer - "What can ye do?"
They reply - "Better than you"
The others - "Show us"
The stationary row then do some one of the actions privately decided on and the other row must put a name on that action. If they guess rightly they run off as fast as they can and the children who had performed the action must hunt them.
As each one is caught she is brought to the side of the [...] Boys and the hunt continues until all are brought in. Then the game starts over again.
- Collector
- Margaret Looney
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Banteer, Co. Cork
