The Shillelagh has become synonymous with stereotypes about the "Fighting Irish." The truth is that shillelagh fighting was originally a form of fencing which required training, discipline and skill. Often combining stick-fencing with boxing and wrestling, shillelagh fighting was a once a complex mixed martial art. Now for the first time "Fighting Irish: The Art Of Irish Stick-Fighting" describes and analyzes this fascinating sport, its essential nature and techniques. This authoritative classic contains clear cut descriptions of the most important offensive and defensive stick-fighting positions and methods. For the first time in history the basic concepts of Irish shillelagh fighting are laid out and explained for both the martial artist and the the interested reader.
For centuries the Irish have been associated with a stick weapon called the Shillelagh. 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.
"The Shillelagh Makers Handbook" instructs the reader in the basic traditions and skills of the craft of shillelagh making. Readers will learn how to craft their own shillelaghs, for use as walking or fighting sticks.
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. 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. The stories provide many details about Irish methods of fighting in the 19th century, and great insights into the fighting culture and code - what I call the “Shillelagh Law” - which guided the lives of Irish fighting men, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Four hundred endnotes, meticulously researched, explain the 19th century Irish, and Hiberno-English terms, used by Carleton throughout the text.
This dictionary contains all the terms necessary to help anyone practising Irish martial arts use the right Irish language terminology. With chapters on Archery, Boxing, Fencing, Judo and Wrestling, this book covers many modern martial arts and enables practitioners to access the language without being experts in it.