Edward
Bartender
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- London, UK
^ is that an Irish Walking Stick....Shiloh ? Are those usually lightweight or do they come heavy as well ?
Thanks
Shillelagh. (pronounced 'Shi - Lay-Lay). Traditionally made from blackthorn or oak (though blackthorn is the norm: oak was much rarer). They originated as a shorter stick, about two feet long, as a weapon - a club. There was a specific fighting style (and acknowledged "rules") for fighting with them. The c.1840 folk song Arthur Macbride contains a reference to the use of a shillelagh club by an Irishman on a British army recruiting sergeant; they were still known to be in use for some time later. The walking stick version supposedly evolved as a way of passing off a weapon as a necessary walking aid, though being markedly longer it would presumably affect the fighting technique. By this point in the early 21st century, you mostly only see them produced for the tourist industry, and they're more likely to be seen hanging on the walls of the diaspora rather than anyone actually Irish.
The Cold Steel brand do one in whatever fibreglass compound it is they use, which looks nice.