The Game Piece

'The Game Piece' Sculpture

The sculpture, located in the Tranquility Garden beside County Buildings, in Mullingar was originally commissioned for the N4. It was created by Irish Artist Dony MacManus. Inspiration for the piece came from a set of copper alloy mounted bone game pieces that were discovered in Westmeath and are now in the National Museum of Ireland.

Lough Sewdy Gaming Piece

A collection of 17 gaming pieces was discovered in Lugacaha, Lough Sewdy, Co. Westmeath. These gaming pieces, are a unique Irish type used in the early medieval game Hnefatafl. A digital model was created of one of these pieces. It features a conical antler core which appears to be polished and burnet with a copper alloy mount, and is decorated with animal heads and stamped beading. Similar pieces from Knowth, Co. Meath, date back to the 10th-11th century AD.

The digital model of the Lough Sewdy gaming piece in the National Museum of Ireland collections was created by the Discovery Programme in 2024 with funding from the Creative Ireland Programme, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, the Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

3d model of Lough Sewdy Gaming Piece (NMI 1982:6.10) https://skfb.ly/psIz

The Ballinderry Gaming Board

This gaming board was found in 1932 during archaeological excavations at Ballinderry crannóg, near Moate, Co. Westmeath. The crannóg was believed to have been a high status dwelling and it was occupied during the late 9th – 11th Centuries. The gaming board was made from yew and the carved heads at either side of the board may have been used as handles. The board is one of the most ornate examples found in Ireland. It would have used for the Viking war game Hnefatafl. The board is laid out in a grid of 49 holes across which the gaming pieces moved. The aim of the game was to drive the King piece into one of the corners.

The digital model of the Ballinderry Gaming Board in the National Museum of Ireland collections was created by the Discovery Programme with funding from the Creative Ireland Programme.

3D model of Ballinderry Gaming Board (NMI 1932:6583) : https://skfb.ly/psIzD

Exploring Viking Board Games through a modern lens

This is a Creative Ireland Project, for which Dionysus School of Dance collaborated with film maker Miroslav Wycka to create a modern interpretation of the game Hnefatafl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPjajCIJvVA

Competition

Entrants were invited to design their own gaming piece for the board game Hneftafl

What is Hnefatafl? Hnefatafl is a Viking board game involving a king, 8 defenders and13 attackers. The objective of the game is to move the king safely from the centre of the board to one of the four corner squares. For more details see this video:

Entries were invited in two categories

1. Under 12s Poster competition drawings/painting/colouring of original design of gaming piece. Design a king, an attacker or a defender. Images to be submitted on either A4 or A3 page and posted/ handed in to Mullingar Branch Library, Aras an Chontae, Mullingar, co. Westmeath. Entries should include the entrants name, address and age on the reverse of the image. A selection of posters entered into this competition may be displayed in Mullingar Library.

2. Over 12s Design a gaming piece; design a king, an attacker or a defender. Entries were submitted as .stl file – https://form.jotform.com/243512897111051

*Winners –

First Prize in the Poster competition in the Under 12s category was awarded to Lilly Kennedy who received a book voucher to the value of €50. Runners up prizes were awarded to Samuel Gatley and Jethro Bowers.

The Digital design winner was Luke Daly, who received a 3D print of his design and a book voucher to the value of €100.

Closing date for entries was extended to is 5pm on Fri 28th February 2025

All entries were assessed against the competition criteria by a panel of adjudicators. The panel's verdict is final and no correspondence shall be entered into regarding individual competition entries. Unfortunately, we will not be in a position to return posters to the entrants.