Kirkwall - Boy's and Men's Ba' Games

Since 1850 at Christmas and on New Year's Day a kind of football match has been held in Kirkwall. The Boys' and Men's Ba' Games involves a team of "Uppies" (churchmen/upper town) playing the "Downies" (king's vassals/lower town). The boys play in the morning and the men in the afternoon, but as many as 200 players can be involved. The Ba' Game reflects the conflicts within the divided town at the end of the 14th century when Earl Henry St Clair controlled the castle (now no longer in existence) and the bishop the land around its base. The boundary was Kirk Green, now the starting point for a match that takes place on the streets and in which anyone can join in.