Liam Kealy (Liam O’Caidhla) is the definitive Shillelagh stick maker, being born and raised in the area. Thus originated the association of the blackthorn Shillelagh with the ‘Fairies and Leprechauns’.
Battle clubs, walking sticks, cudgels, message sticks and good luck charms are some of the devices covered by the name ‘Shillelagh’, which were made from Blackthorn as only its unique properties deliver the correct blend of lightness and hardness which following a process of cutting, seasoning, fashioning and sealing, taking up to three years, produces high quality pieces which will last for generations.īlackthorn was sacred in pagan traditions and its’ impenetrable thickets, which helped to protect the territories of the Siol Ealaigh from infiltration, led to the belief that the ‘Little People’ resided within. Over the generations the style of the ‘Shillelagh’ changed with the needs of its users. Countless modern Irish family names such as Kelly, Kealy, Kiely, Kelleher, Callaghan, and variations of these, owe their origins to Ealach. His followers were known as the ’Siol Ealaigh’ meaning the seed ( or descendants ) of Ealach. , and who resisted the influences of other clans who were becoming too Celtic in their ways.
Irish stick shillelagh mac#
The name originated from a king or clan chieftain, Ealach Mac Faelchon, who lived in the 7th Century A.D. The subsequent dispersal of these people throughout Ireland and onward on the famine ships brought the fearsome weapon of their ancestors to the greater Irish Diaspora. This ethnic people had survived the invasive influences of the Celts, Vikings, Danes and Normans until their last refuge, the great oak forests of Shillelagh, were finally felled in the 18th century. In the first millennium, the warrior stick fighters of the Shillelagh territories were so renowned for their martial arts skills and ferocity that their tribal name became synonymous with the weapon that they were so adept with. Learn its history and folklore and perhaps the secrets of what makes a real Shillelagh, while exploring the stickmakers yard. With a handsome bark-like wood texture and raised “clipped thorns” on the shaft, and a highly polished faux-wood head, this good looking stick will be sure to turn heads whether it is carried under your arm at a historical re-enactment event, or simply hung on the wall.Experience the ancient craft of Shillelagh stick making in the ancestral home of this renowned Irish icon. Thompsons private collection, the Blackthorn Shillelagh mimics the look, feel and balance of the original, but made from high-impact polymer that will withstand even the harshest weather conditions. Modeled after an ancient cudgel in Lynn C. A shorter, lighter model that we simply named the Blackthorn Shillelagh.
For 2016, we are proud to add a “little brother” to our line-up. The English didnt want to appear unreasonable by outlawing walking sticks too, so the Irish kept their modified shillelaghs and the world gained a beautiful and functional walking stick known simply as the Blackthorn. To get around the law, the Irish turned the shillelagh into a 3-foot walking stick. In expert hands the shillelagh was so fearsome that during the final occupation of Ireland, the English outlawed it. The original Blackthorn sticks were 2 to 4 foot long Irish shillelaghs (the national weapon of rural Ireland).
It has been prized for centuries as a material for premium walking sticks. The Blackthorn bush is found throughout Ireland and the British Isles.
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