School: Cortown (roll number 3113)

On this page

1. Homemade Toys

   

   Share Share Post

   Girls make "daisy chains". They collect the daisies first and then string them together by making a cut in the stem with the finger nail and threading another daisy through it
   [drawing of a daisy chain]

   "What o'clock is it"? was played by plucking a seeded dandelion and blowing the seeds away with the breath. If it took five breaths to clear away all the seeds it was said to be five o'clock and so on.

   "Commons" was played by boys and girls. It was similar to modern hurling except that the commons or sticks were not dressed and prepared as elaborately as they are now. Any piece of stick with a knob at one end sufficed. Teams were drawn by two captains, the captains choosing a player alternately from those willing to take part in the game. Two lines were drawn corresponding to the end lines of a modern pitch and the scores were registered by a team driving the "bock" across their opponents line. The "bock" was a round piece of briar root or other similar tough root.

   Another toy was made by boys and was called a "Christmas horn". It was made by putting some water into a bottle and placing the bottle on

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. entertainments and recreational activities (~5,933)
            1. toys (~1,598)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs J. Smyth

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Kells, Co. Meath