Cabra History.Com

Does anyone remember how to play the ‘Moul’? I think that’s how it’s spelt. It’s not a word in any dictionary I looked in. It might just be a Cabra word or an old Dublin word. Most every house in Cabra has one of these shore covers on the pathway outside its gate. The ‘Moul’ was a great game of skill and technique. Any amount of boys could play it. I say boys because I don’t remember any girls playing it but I could be wrong. It was usually played with a ‘Make’ (a halfpenny) or a penny coin. Sometimes if nobody had money it was played with washers. Years ago a few young boys would play this game by opening the shore cover which stood upright when opened. Inside there was a valve for turning off the water supply into the house. A coin was tossed to see who was first to play. The winner stood on the road with his toes against the edge of the footpath, facing the open shore. He then very carefully and skillfully aimed his ‘Make’ at the open shore and let fly in the hope that it would go into the shore. Most times it would hit the shore cover and bounce back down along the footpath. The next boy would take up his position, take aim and shoot. The aim of the game was to get you ‘Make’ into the shore first and then this put you in a position whereby you could then take aim at your opponents coin and if you hit it you kept it and the game was over. There were several rules dictating how the game was played. But all in all it was a great way of spending time with your pals and it got you out from under the Mammy’s feet.