Shillelagh

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

Shillelagh (pronounced sha-lei-lee) is a wooden club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob on the end, that is associated with Ireland in folklore. They are traditionally made from oak and later, and perhaps more commonly, were made fromblackthorn (sloe) wood (Prunus spinosa). It was named after the Shillelagh forest in County Wicklow, a forest of oak which produced some fine examples.

Curing the Wood

The wood would be smeared with butter and placed up a chimney to cure, giving the Shillelagh its typical black shiny appearance. Other methods of curing the wood included placing the wood in a dung heap.

Making the Weapon

Shillelaghs may be hollowed at the heavy "hitting" end and filled with molten lead to increase the weight beyond the typical two pounds; this sort of Shillelagh is known as a 'loaded stick'. They are commonly the length of a walking stick (distance from the floor to one's wrist with elbow slightly bent). Most also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking as well as parrying and disarming an opponent. Many shillelaghs also have a strap attached, similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist.

Fighting History and Methodology

Methods of Shillelagh fighting have evolved over a period of thousands of years, from the spear, staff, axe and sword fighting of the Irish. There is some evidence which suggests that the use of Irish stick weapons may have evolved in a progression from a reliance on long spears and wattles, to shorter spears and wattles, to the shillelagh, alpeen, blackthorn (walking-stick) and short cudgel. By the 19th century Irish Shillelagh-fighting had evolved into a practice which involved the use of three basic types of weapons, sticks which were long, medium or short in length.

Although originally used for settling disputes in a gentlemanly manner, (like pistols in colonial America, or the katana in Japan), the shillelagh became almost a weapon associated with Irish martial arts, and eventually became a symbol of stereotypical violent Irish behavior, and has thus become nearly a tabooed topic of discussion for many Irish people.