Here's a version of the Fidchell game based on the board found in Ballinderry - there are other versions available in wood or in cloth but here he's given an explanation of the game in Irish.
http://unique-original.com/page17.html

And here's an interaxtive variation..

Play fidchell

Thanks for your link Franc.

This is what the original board looks like -
www.historicgames.com/Fitchneal.html

Very interesting lads!

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

I played this with my brother a few times over the last few days after reading this thread. It's a bit
like the Chinese game Go, in fact I played it using my Go board.

Although the game in the link is actually a variant of Brandubh, the Irish version of the Viking game Hnefatafl,
which is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.

I think we still don't know how Fidchell was played, which is a pity, it'd be nice to play such an old game.
Also, it's used a lot in Bardic literature and it's hard to appreciate the metaphors being used if you don't
know how to play the game.

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

I saw this the other day -
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/ker ... 98070.html
and I don't know if this is very reliable but there it is -
http://www.dreoilin.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/fidchell/
On this forum Seán Ó hAodha talks about his memories of family members playing this in Donegal -
http://www.celticchess.proboards.com/thread/1
and lastly if you're in Dublin you can actually go and see it at the National Museum, if not you can buy at their on-line shop their 'Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archeology' where there's also a picture of it.