Read more about irish stick fighting, faction fights in ireland, and shillelagh martial arts. This is a real world look at the methodology of the predominant shillelagh style used by the faction fighters in the old world during the last few. And for generations of irishmen, the shillelagh was a badge of honor a symbol of their courage, their martial prowess and their willingness to fight for their rights and their honor. You dont have to be irish to know how to make a shillelagh pronounced shihlaylee or shihlaylah. Histories, definitions and perceptions of paintings of everyday life from early nineteenth. The shillelagh bata or the rediscovery of a living irish martial tradition by maxime chouinard, b. And for generations of irishmen, the shillelagh was a badge of. As jon mills explained in his post, the general irish term for stick fighting is bataireacht. People who are new to the whole concept often want to know more about modern practitioners. Now the shillelagh is carried as a walking stick, but in older times was used as a fighting weapon. Stick fighting for selfdefense yawara, aikido, cane by. Why have you never heard about irish stick fighting.
It is in the village of shillelagh in south county wicklow, ireland, that originates the famous irish blackthorn fighting stick. In stickfighting, the actual bata or stick used for bataireacht is a sail eille anglicised as shillelagh or, in earlier texts, a cudgel. This stick originated from ireland in the 17th century. And, in actuality, irish stickfighting in new york city dates to nearly fifty years earlier than the events depicted in that book and film. This is a rugged knob stick full of character and has a real cave man quality about it that makes you want to swing it. This set can take you to the next level of moving and fighting. The shillelagh is a devastatingly effective weapon from ancient times and it is still an extremely practical and effective weapon today. This book might be of interest to someone seeking out his irish heritage but for the ordinary reader, i do not recommend it. Irish shillelaghs and walking sticks littleshamrocks. Irish stick fighting was not only an ancient martial tradition. He is also a practitioner of irish stick shillelagh fighting, in both its researched form and under the instruction of glen doyle of newfoundland, canada.
Irish stick fighting in old new york martial arts new york. Feb 05, 2008 the newfie shillelagh or doyle bataireacht or simply doyle clan irish stick fighting is a devastatingly effective twohanded combative system developed well over 300 years ago by a doyle family. Factions and stick fighting in history and culture boland, mary jane. Read more about irish stickfighting, faction fights in ireland, and shillelagh martial. The irish were banned from formal weapons and that was the begining of this stick. Nov 26, 2014 although such skirmishes were popularized by the film gangs of new york based on the book by herbert asbury, those fights were fictionalized and dramatized to a great degree. Modern shillelagh training cleachtadh saileille nuaaimseartha i get many questions from readers about the state of modern irish stickfighting. He was wellversed in both boxing and stick fighting.
Hurley is considered the worlds foremost authority on the history, traditions and culture of traditional irish martial arts, having researched them for over twenty years. This unique walking fighting stick is handmade in ireland of blackthorn wood from remote areas of county wicklow, cork and kerry. For centuries the irish have been associated with a stick weapon called the shillelagh. The rince an bhata uisce bheatha style was born when he began applying the principals of boxing to the established art of irish stick fighting. Apr 02, 2011 the shillelagh is an ancient walking stickfighting stick that has been carried by many celtic people for hundreds of years now. Shillelagh blackthorn walking stick irish culture and irish. Nov 18, 2007 if you are interested in european and american martial arts history, the rich tradition of irish martial arts, or stick fighting and martial arts traditions and practicality, or irish history in general, this should be an addition to your library. Irish stick fighting full contact instruction by j. A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty. Get out of the house and explore the outdoors with a little help from this cool new genuine handmade irish shillelagh.
My personal introduction to irish stick fighting was from glen doyle, whose clan developed their own approach to the use of the shillelagh called rince an bhata uisce bheatha pronounced rinkan watta ishka vaaha, which is gaelic for whiskey stick dancing. The gaelic bata, or fighting stick, would have been made from oak, blackthorn, ash or holly. Those fighting irish and their good natured fights on film by steve farrell the irish and the irish americans have always have had a presence in hollywood since the earliest talkie films like public enemy and the roaring twenties. The irish tended to like walking canes that were made from oak, blackthorn, ash and holly. This group is dedicated to the practice and study of irish stick fighting. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Some techniques can also be used with a sturdy umbrella or even a sword in its scabbard. Those fighting irish and their good natured fights on film.
Irish black thorn walking stick shillelagh this shillelagh walking stick is hand carved from a single piece of seasoned ash. Bataireacht is a category of stickfighting martial arts of ireland. The irish fighting stick kindle edition by hurley, john w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Irish stick fighting bataireacht public group facebook. Shillelagh for sale in uk 61 secondhand shillelaghs. Rince an bhata uisce bheatha pronounced rinkan watta ishka vaaha is gaelic for whiskey stick dancing. How shillelagh fighting evolved into a irish martial art. Irish shillelagh fighting stick gaelic war club weapon.
For them stick fighting came from the noble art of sword fencing. Many cultures have developed a stick, cane or staff for fighting such as irish stick fighting, zulu stick fighting, european, latin american and asian stick fighting. Always wanted to train in the irish stick fighting martial arts. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading shillelagh. Three dvd set from the first usa gathering of the irish swift stick. The shillelagh is recognized as a symbol of irishness. The stick has a sister that was carried by englishmen in and around the 1800s. Mar 01, 2002 irish gangs and stick fighting in the works of william carleton, is a collection of stories about irish stick fighters, written in the 19th century, by the irish author william carleton. There is some evidence which suggests that the use of irish stick weapons may have. Shillelagh or irish stick fighting academie duello. Irish shillelagh walking stick as a secret weapon duration. This set has material not shown on any of the other dvds a long talk on the internal portions. Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download. Shillelagh or irish stick fighting academie duello learn.
How to make a shillelagh do it yourself mother earth news. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Irish stick fighting rince an bhata uisce bheatha shillelagh. However, rince an bhata uisce bheatha isnt a form of irish dance, its a doyle clans style of irish stick fighting the martial art most irishmen used to settle their disputes in the 18th and 19th centuries so the only dancing you will be doing will be at the party after the brawl. A couple of authors did try to raise the profile of irish stick fighting but did so in a way that contributed to creating certain myths about the origin of bataireacht. Stickfighting, stickfighting, or stick fighting is a variety of martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, handheld, generally wooden sticks for fighting. Feb 01, 2016 antrim bata is a very versatile system of combat.
Todays version of the irish shillelagh is a walking stick or cane but, to the ancient irish, the shillelagh was their weapon of choice. Shillelagh fighting sticks were traditionally made from blackthorn, oak, ash or hazel and smeared with butter then placed up a chimney to season, giving the stick its typical shiny, black. The notion of weaponry and romance linked together seems at first to be an odd one. The shillelagh itself is a single piece of blackthorn or oak about three feet long. By the 19th century irish shillelaghfighting had evolved into a practice which involved. Shillelagh stickfighting bataireacht saileille methods of shillelagh fighting have evolved over a period of thousands of years, from the spear, staff, axe and sword fighting of the irish. Blackthorn, oak, ash and hazel were traditionally the most common types of woods used to. Looking for a complete and well rounded system that is so much more than just strikes and blocks. A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and club, or cudgel made from a thick, knotty stick with a large knob on top of blackthorn wood. If you are irish or have an interest in irish gangs, irish boxing, the shillelagh, or scorceses film, you will. Carleton was an irish stick fighter himself, and this is the first time that all of his tales about stick fighting have been collected in a single volume. Modern shillelagh training cleachtadh saileille nua. May 26, 2012 posts about irish stick fighting written by erinsromance. The stick or staff has been used as a tool or weapon since mankind has existed.
It provides firsthand accounts of irish gangs and fights, written by a reformed irish stick fighter, and vividly describes irelands fighting culture which was governed by a code of honour hurley correctly calls shillelagh law. Patricks day was this week, so lets celebrate the shillelagh, or blackthorn walking stick and its fighting style. This article is a research in the methods, history and culture of the irish martial art of shillelagh bata. Oct 24, 2007 apart from some detail on the what and whys of factional fighting, it had little to say about how the stick was used and the various fighting styles adopted. Here i explain the different ranges and grips used for working at different ranges. A new martial arts school using traditional irish stick fighting as taught by the doyle family. The irish fighting stick paperback october 24, 2007.
In irish martial arts, bataireacht or boiscin are the various forms of stickfighting from ireland. According to doyle lore, he was a dissipater of clan squabbles and hired muscle to protect illegal distilleries. Irish gangs and stick fighting in the works of william carleton, is a collection of stories about irish stick fighters, written in the 19th century, by the irish author william carleton. Stay tuned for updates of the bibliography and links. This martial tradition has been transmitted from father to son for several.
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