shillelagh and walking sticks

[Dreadbelly]

A Shillelagh is a specially weighted stick made from the knobby root end of Blackthorn. The knobby end is bored out and filled with either molten lead or molten silver, and allowed to harden. The Gaelic name, if I recall correctly, is bata. Shillelagh is actually what the English call them from what I have read. It came from the pen of an English writer.

Traditionally, a Shillelagh is 2/3ths the hight of it's owner. Some are of course longer or shorter based on several factors. The Irish (and Scots) were often to poor to afford swords. Stick fighting was common and deadly. Sherlock Holmes was even said to have been a master of Bata fighting. Some of the better fighters used a style called "Troid de Bata." Two stick fighting. One Shillelagh was longer and used for walking, the other was a short stubby version usually hidden under a coat or a cloak and used for blocking or as two tapper finisher.

In combat, a Shillelagh is held in mid shaft. The weighted end can either be held high or held low, and a good fighter will know how to twirl the knob to whichever stance he is in need of. The bottom part of the shaft is used for blocking and striking the shins. The top part (the knob, which can also be on the bottom keep in mind) isn't swung so much like a club, but rather whipped outward with a flick of the wrist and momentum is allowed to do all of the work. So deadly is a properly made Shillelagh that even a child can deliver bone shattering blows with very little effort and training. If properly made and weighted, and held the right way mid shaft, a Shillelagh is just as, if not more balanced than a well made sword. Recovery from striking a blow is lightning fast, and a skilled user can deliver a flurry of cascading blows that can reduce a foe's bones to splinters. It has been called by some a mace or a club with all of the finer characteristics of a sword.

It should be seen as a symbol of pride for ALL Celtic and Gaelic cultures, as both the Scots and the Irish used them to great effect, especially during the dark years when none were allowed weapons to defend themselves, or could not afford a gentleman's sword. And when one owns a combat Shillelagh, one filled with either molten lead or silver and properly balanced, one should take great care around others as even a gentle love tap can be utterly devistating to the recipient.

Real Shillelaghs are hard to find. The sticks sold to tourists are not even Blackthorn most of the time. And it is very difficult to find a custom made well balanced Shillelagh that has been lead or silver filled. The best Shillelaghs spend a year buried in manure or a peat bog to temper the wood. After a year in manure or peat, they are rubbed in butter and left in a chimney to cure for a while, becomed blackened, and cure. They become as hard and unyielding as stone and are said only to break when their owner does.

I would very much like to have one made. Although, knowing me, I would most likely give somebody a "gentle love tap" with one.

Edit

Oh, forgot to mention. They were also made from oak, ash, and holly.