Irish board games we’ve known and loved

Do you remember Sean Kelly’s cycling board game? Escape from Atlantis? Blackboard Jungle? They’re all here.

13/01/13 18,408 Views 34 Comments

IT’S SUNDAY, SO as soon as you’ve digested that roast why not get out the board games and have a friendly tournament?

DISCLAIMER: If you play Monopoly, it will end in a fight.

We’ve rounded up as many truly Irish retro board games as possible (although the search for photographic evidence of the existence of Play the Game and Where in the World continues) and added in a few more classics for good measure.

If you have any gems lying around at home send us a snap to tips@dailyedge.ie or tweet us @DailyEdge.

Irish board games we’ve known and loved

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Discovering Ireland
"Bring the whole family together for a rowdy trip around the Emerald Isle – will you stop for tea and scones, take a wrong turning or meet cows in a narrow lane? Should you accept an invitation to the Dublin Horse Show? Has another player cunningly put road works in your way?" This game is still going strong, teaching the children of Ireland how to tell their Giant's Causeway from their Cliffs of Moher
Discovering Ireland
Discovering Ireland
Blackboard Jungle
So you couldn't win a Blacboard Jungle holdall or the holy grail... the Blackboard Jungle minibus by playing this game, but you could win honour. And that's all that counts.
Blackboard Jungle
"Please let me get 'Entertainment'. Please"
Sean Kelly Cycling
According to CyclingBoardGames.net this self-published Irish game was the only one of its type (despite the "Sean Kelly Edition" tagline).
Sean Kelly Cycling
Pairc
According to Adverts.ie this is a rare find and dates from the early 1980s.
Pairc
Scrabble
The frequency and value of the letters has been adjusted to allow this classic game to be played in Irish. How many points for "Is féidir linn"?
Frustration
Not an Irish game, but definitely a favourite in many Irish households. You were guaranteed never to lose the dice.
Stratego
Nothing like a spot of casual war games on a Sunday afternoon to help digest the dinner.
Game of Life
Go to university, get married, have a baby, make lots of money. THAT's how you can be a winner at the Game of Life.
Escape from Atlantis
Atlantis is sinking, and you must do everything in your power to make it to another island alive. MY NERVES!
Monopoly
There is no surer way to guarantee a fight than with a game of monopoly. And the Banker is ALWAYS stealing from the bank.

Images: Adverts.ie/ BoardGameGeek.com/ CyclingBoardGames.net/ Adverts.ie/ eBay.ie/ CoolestToys.com/ Kathryn-Flickr-CC/ SirCollectALot/ BoardGameGeek.com/ Leicestershire County Council

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Emer McLysaght

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Aunty gaybo 13/01/13 #

2 67

What about go for broke?

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- Vicky Matthews 13/01/13 #
  
  2 18
  
  I LOVED Go For Broke!
  
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Fiona Mullen 13/01/13 #

2 63

I remember a family holiday to Portugal when I made the whole family play discovering Ireland EVERY night. My poor parents! Also,it was the travel version!!

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- stephen 13/01/13 #
  
  4 36
  
  I have that board game pairc in my parents house,it was terribly hard to play. I don’t actually think we got through one game. I must try find it see if it makes any more sense now days.
  
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- conor hickey 13/01/13 #
  
  4 40
  
  We stayed in Ireland and played Discover Portugal….
  
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Barry Doyle 13/01/13 #

6 93

It wasn’t a childhood without the game of life.

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Craig 13/01/13 #

1 39

Screwball scramble?

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- Liz (10) (^_^) 13/01/13 #
  
  1 16
  
  Loved Screwball scramble, Don’t Wake Dad and Mousetrap. Had Monopoly too
  
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Edel Homer 13/01/13 #

0 25

Just played cluedo and frustration with my nieces at my dads…..ended with me calling my eldest niece a bastard….ban board games now

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Conor Ó Ruanaidh 13/01/13 #

1 36

Still have Discovering Ireland in the attic. Loved it as a kid! Can’t believe Where in the World is not there though!

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Krystian Brzezowski 13/01/13 #

6 70

Snakes and ladder anyone?

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- Liz (10) (^_^) 13/01/13 #
  
  1 10
  
  Yes to Snakes and Ladders. Most played game when I had to go to hospital when I was younger.
  
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Henry chinaski 13/01/13 #

2 26

Had that cycling game, what a blast from the past…And discover ireland…Played the new fangled version of frustration lately, it’s shite ya don’t get to press the bubble anymore, there is a little tab you press instead. That was the essence of the game!!!

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- Liz (10) (^_^) 13/01/13 #
  
  2 9
  
  I have the old version of Frustration in the house somewhere, great fun
  
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David Murphy 13/01/13 #

12 69

Cluedo. Everybody has owned cluedo at some stage

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olivia hegarty 13/01/13 #

2 24

Wasn’t there a board game called “Play the Game”?I think it was similar to Charades, and Ronan Collins was on the front cover of the box?!

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The whistler 13/01/13 #

1 15

I had pairc, it had actual advertising around the edges of the board and it made no sense at all

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Brendan Rice 13/01/13 #

15 58

re Monopoly, if I land on a ghost estate do I still have to pay €200?

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Eoin Ryan 13/01/13 #

0 8

Discovering Ireland was all fun and games until you tried to get from Gal way to Ballinasloe!

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Pat Spillane 13/01/13 #

2 16

Draughts and ludo

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Jamie Mccormack 13/01/13 #

0 7

Anyone ever play “Risk”? Great craic altoghether. You can have a one-on-one, or you can involve up to six people, and you would be at it for hours!

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Jill :D 13/01/13 #

2 13

Oh my God I remember discovering Ireland! I used to play it with my older cousins about ten years ago. Loved it :D

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RobertOMaingain 13/01/13 #

2 12

Blackboard Jungle brings back some memories!!

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Ciara McCorley 13/01/13 #

2 11

I played discovering Ireland for the first time this xmas!

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kevin kelly 13/01/13 #

0 4

Anyone have gaelic conquest? Used to spend many hours guessing the answers!

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Brendan Rice 13/01/13 #

5 9

Anyone remember a European Union board game that came out around 1992? I thought it was made in Ireland. The box was colour of the EU flag and had loads of difficult quiz questions along the lines of Trivial Pursuit..

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- kevin kelly 13/01/13 #
  
  0 3
  
  I have it somewhere. Think it was discovering europe or something like that. Money was ecu or european currency unit and you had to get passports to move country! Don’t think we ever finished a game!
  
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- kevin kelly 13/01/13 #
  
  0 4
  
  Scrap that, its challenging europe I think!
  
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Liz (10) (^_^) 13/01/13 #

1 4

Ah yes Discovering Ireland and Play the Game.
Owned both, big part of childhood right there.

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Sheila Larkin 13/01/13 #

1 4

Game of Knowledge was a favourite in our house.

Rubiks Race caused more arguments and tears.

Good times.

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Celtic Lady 13/01/13 #

8 8

Tumbling monkeys.

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Ken Kelly 21/01/13 #

0 1

There was no drug stop on the Sean Kelly cycling game. WTF?

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elaynne 13/01/13 #

4 3

anyone remember game of life??

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paudy o brien 13/01/13 #

191 21

Let’s write a story about Irish board games ….half way Ture …..o hang on we not enough ….let’s just use board games that were used in Ireland

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Irish board games we’ve known and loved

Do you remember Sean Kelly’s cycling board game? Escape from Atlantis? Blackboard Jungle? They’re all here.

Discovering Ireland

Discovering Ireland

Discovering Ireland

Blackboard Jungle

Blackboard Jungle

Sean Kelly Cycling

Sean Kelly Cycling

Pairc

Pairc

Scrabble

Frustration

Stratego

Game of Life

Escape from Atlantis

Monopoly

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