&sq=&lang=&file=File:MaryRoseTablesGame.jpg) Tables board from the Mary Rose, contemporary with the game of Irish | |
| Other names | Irish Gamyne, the Irish Game |
|---|---|
| Years active | c. 1507 to mid-18th century |
| Genres | Board game Race game Dice game |
| Players | 2 |
| Movement | contrary |
| Chance | Medium (dice rolling) |
| Skills | Strategy, tactics, counting, probability |
| Related games: Backgammon, English, todas tablas, toutes tables, totis tabulis | |
Irish or the Irish Game was an Anglo-Scottish tables game for two players that was popular from the 16th to the mid-18th centuries before being superseded by its derivative, the "faster paced" backgammon.[1] In its day, Irish was "esteemed among the best games at Tables." Its name notwithstanding, Irish was one of the most international forms of tables games, the equivalent of French toutes tables, Italian tavole reale and Spanish todas tablas,[1] the latter name first being used in the 1283 El Libro de los Juegos, a translation of Arabic manuscripts by the Toledo School of Translators.
The name may have been coined to distinguish it from the English Game which was older. There is no evidence that it was particularly linked with Ireland, although it was played there too.