O'Grady Says
Another popular street game in Cork is called 'O'Grady says'. This game has been played for generations. It is typically played by a group of five-ten children.
The child playing 'O'Grady' faces a wall with his back to the other children. The rest of the group stands about five yards behind O'Grady and attempts to creep up on him. Then O'Grady turns around quickly every few seconds. Any child caught moving is sent back to the starting point with the command 'O'Grady says'.
The game is over when a child manages to reach the wall without being seen moving by O'Grady. That child then takes over as O'Grady and the game starts again. Have you ever played a game like this? What do you call it?
O'Grady Says: Read on!
In another version of 'O'Grady says', the person playing O'Grady tells the children to perform some action. It might be to put their arms behind their backs, or jump up and down, with the words 'O'Grady says' before the command.
At some point, O'Grady gives a command, leaving out the phrase 'O'Grady says'. Any child who obeyed an order without the words 'O'Grady says' was out of the game.