The Games We Once Played

The Games We Once Played

By Paul McCann

In another time around the streets of Ardoyne there was always games of one kind or another being played .

Some back street gambling was going on with handball and on some spare ground men would play pitch and toss or in the back entries and down at the back of the linen mill beside the brickyard card schools was another way to win or loose small fortunes .

The peelers as they were called, would descend upon those games in their efforts to break up the illegal gambling . As a result the men would all scatter in different directions and sometimes they would forget about the money that was left lying on the ground .

There was always one man at the toss whose job it was to pick up the money when the peelers came.

The man in question was Nailer Clarke , a hard man handy with his fists . He was a local hero around the district .

Other innocent games that went on were played by children in the street like Cribby , rounders , run catch kiss, red rover , one two three red lights , thunder and lightening , queenio , leapfrog and off ground tig . The skipping games all had their songs and the children would sing in tempo with their skipping .

Then there was thunder and lightening or knock the doors, Ceili hoops and guiders , piggy back rides and pussy in the four corners .

Every Sunday there was a football match on the old cinder pitch at the bottom of the bone hills , that always attracted huge crowds . These matches were played from noon to nine thirty at night . People sat on the dump Hills there wrapped up in the magic of football in an atmosphere that could invade the pitch at anytime without a warning.

There was always the little hole in the wall places where you could get a drink at any time day or night like the Peppermint Lounge as it was known by the locals who would often make a stop there after being at the dance in town .

In the hard times people always found ways to have a laugh at life and in the happy times people never forgot how to enjoy themselves . The strength of the people’s character crafted out a lifestyle where they could always wear a smile on their face no matter what . No one had reason to want for more or less , everybody was happy with what they had .

The End