Pastimes

Gaming pieces or counters, made of durable materials usually bone, are commonly found in excavations but gaming boards are not, making this a rare find. The board, of oak wood, is undecorated with a perforated wedge handle and a raised edge around a surface of probably seven holes by seven holes. It is similar to the Ballinderry, Co. Offaly gaming board although plainer and was probably used for the same game - hnefatafl - a common pastime in Viking times. Several of the gaming pieces found in Waterford could have been pegged into this board.