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{{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}
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[[File:Assorted shillelagh.JPG|thumb|right|Assorted shillelaghs.]]
A '''shillelagh''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ᵻ|ˈ|l|eɪ|l|i|,_|-|l|ə}} {{respell|shil|AY|lee|,_-|lə}}; {{lang-ga|sail éille}} or {{lang|ga|saill éalaigh}}{{sfn|Barry|2013|p=9}} {{IPA-ga|ˌsˠal̠ʲ ˈeːlʲə|}}, "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and [[Club (weapon)|club or cudgel]], typically made from a stout knotty [[Prunus spinosa|blackthorn]] stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and [[Irish mythology|Irish folklore]].
 
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[[File:Shillelaghs in various stages of completion.jpg|thumb|Oaken shillelaghs in various stages of completion]]
 
TheyShillelaghs are commonly the length of a walking -stick (distance from the floor to one'sthe wrist with elbow slightly bent),<ref>{{cncite web | title=Buying the best walking stick - What height walking stick do I need?| publisher=Which? | date=July24 2019May 2024| url=https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobility-equipment/article/buying-the-best-walking-stick-awCDH7N5XqQc}}</ref> or rather longer,typically about {{convert|4|or|53|ft|m}}, asor opposedrather tolonger the walking stick measuringat about {{convert|34|or|5|ft|m}}.{{sfn|Hurley|2007|pp=144, 157}} In the broad sense, the Shillealagh ''bata'' or sticks could include short mallets only {{convert|1|to|2|ft|m}} in lengthlong, to long poles measuring {{convert|6|to|9|ft|m}} in lengthlong.{{sfn|Chouinard|2007}}
 
=== Fittings ===
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'.{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|These loaded versions are called by such names as ''smachtín'' (''smachtín ceann luaidhe'' or "lead-headed cudgel"), and are the size of smaller ''ailpín''.{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=148}}}}{{sfn|Chouinard|2007}}{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=148}}
 
TheThis loaded typestype needed to have its knob fitted with iron [[Ferrule|ferrules]] to maintain structural integrity,{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=148}} and the sticksstick also havehas an iron ferrulesferrule fitted onto theirits narrow end.{{sfn|Wright|1893 |pp=[https://archive.org/details/brontsinireland01wriggoog/page/n302 283–285]}}{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=145}}{{sfn|Chouinard|2007}} Shillelaghs may also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking.{{sfn|Colum|1988|p=397}}<!--as well as parrying and disarming an opponent. (no book source found; Keelly &Rogers (1999) ''How to be Irish'' suggests the opposite: "knob end was employed to strike, and the other end to parry") --> Shillelaghs may also have a strap attached, similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist.{{sfn|McCann|1972|p=153}}
 
== History ==
Shillelaghs were used in Ireland for [[duel]]s, as were swords or pistols in other places, with a code of conduct.<ref>{{cite web | title=Shillelagh|publisher=Indiana University Bloomington | website=Windows to the World: Digital Artifacts for Global Educators| url=https://w2w.indiana.edu/explore-collections/shillelagh.html | access-date=7 October 2024}}</ref> Modern practitioners of this form of [[stick-fighting]] study the use of the shillelagh for self-defence and as a [[Martial arts|martial art]]. Researcher J. W. Hurley writes:
 
The shillelagh was originally used for settling disputes in a gentlemanly manner — like a duel with pistols or swords. Modern practitioners of [[bataireacht]] study the use of the shillelagh for self-defence and as a [[Martial arts|martial art]]. Of the practice, researcher J. W. Hurley writes:
 
<blockquote>
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 [[Acacia sensu lato|wattles]], to shorter spears and wattles, to the shillelagh, alpeen,{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|There is only a vague distinction between shillelagh and alpeen ([[Diarmaid Ó Muirithe]]),{{nonspecific|date=November 2022}} though the alpeen may be longer or heavier, and be knobbed in the minds of some ([[P. W. Joyce]]).{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=131}} An ''alpeen'' or ''ailpeen'' ({{lang-ga|ailpín}}) is glossed as. "thick [[alpenstock]]", "[[walking stick#Types|ashplant]]", "club", "heavy stick".{{sfn|Dolan|2006|pp=5–6: "ailpeen, 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.{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=347}}</blockquote>
 
''Bataireacht'', an [[Irish language]] term sometimes given as referring to "cudgelling" or "beating with a club",<ref>{{cite book | url = https://celt.ucc.ie/Dinneen1sted.pdf | via = celt.ucc.ie | title = Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla / An Irish-English Dictionary | editor-first = Patrick S. | editor-last = Dinneen | place = Dublin | publisher = Irish Texts Society | date = 1904 }}</ref> refers to a category of stick-fighting in Ireland,{{sfn|O'Connell|2022}} with the ''shillelagh'' sometimes used in such fights.<ref name="Geber">{{Cite journal |last1=Geber |first1=Jonny |last2=O’Donnabhain |first2=Barra |date=2020 |title="Against Shameless and Systematic Calumny": Strategies of Domination and Resistance and Their Impact on the Bodies of the Poor in Nineteenth-Century Ireland |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-019-00219-2 |journal=Historical Archaeology |language=en |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=160–183 |doi=10.1007/s41636-019-00219-2 |issn=2328-1103 |pmc=7012797 |pmid=32116407}}</ref> Also referred to as ''boiscín'',{{sfn|O'Begly|1732}} the fighting style is mostly characterised by the use of a cudgel, or knobbed stick, which is grabbed by the third of the handle end, the lower part protecting the elbow and allowing the user to maintain an offensive as well as defensive guard. This grip also allows launching fast punching-like strikes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hemamisfits.com/2015/02/03/what-is-irish-stick-fighting |first= Maxime| last=Chouinard |title=What is Irish stick fighting? |date=3 February 2015 |publisher=Hemamisfits.com |access-date=2015-07-01}}</ref>
 
Some authors have argued that prior to the 19th century, the term "bataireacht" had been used to refer to a form of stick-fencing used to train Irish soldiers in [[broadsword]] and [[sabre]] techniques.<ref name="Patrick D. O'Donnell">{{cite book
| last = O'Donnell
| first = Patrick D.
| title = The Irish Faction Fighters of the 19th Century
| publisher = Anvil Press
| year = 1975}}{{page needed|date=December 2020}}</ref> This theory has been criticised, including for its lack of primary source material. Although fencing instruction and manuals existed at the time and were available in Ireland and abroad, with one of them illustrating bataireacht among wrestling, boxing and fencing <ref name="Walker 1940">{{cite book
| last = Walker
| first = Donald
| title = Defensive Exercises
| publisher = Thomas Hurst
| year = 1840
| page = 62
}}</ref> the two systems are in practice substantially different, namely in the active use of the buta, a part of the stick with no equivalent in European swords.{{fact|date=January 2024}}
 
By the 18th century, stick fighting became increasingly associated with Irish gangs called "factions".<ref name="Patrick D. O'Donnell"/> Irish faction fights involved large groups engaging in melees at county fairs, weddings, funerals and other gatherings. Historians, such as Carolyn Conley, believe that this possibly reflected a culture of recreational violence. It is also argued that faction fighting had class and political overtones, as depicted in the works of [[William Carleton]] and [[James S. Donnelly, Jr.]]'s "Irish Peasants: Violence & Political Unrest, 1780". By the early 19th century, these gangs had organised into larger regional federations, which coalesced from the old [[Whiteboys]], into the Caravat and Shanavest factions. Beginning in [[Munster]], the Caravat and Shanavest "war" erupted sporadically throughout the 19th century and caused several disturbances.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Clark
| first = Samuel
|author2=James S. Donnelly
| title = Irish Peasants: Violence & Political Unrest, 1780–1914
| publisher = [[University of Wisconsin Press]]
| year = 1983
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sKLQnYmmPLMC
| isbn = 0-299-09374-3}}{{page needed|date=December 2020}}</ref>
 
== Folklore and balladry ==
Line 49 ⟶ 73:
The novelty song "[[It's the Same Old Shillelagh]]" was written by Pat White and recorded by him in 1927. Its subject is a young Irish-American who inherits his father's shillelagh.
 
The anti-recruiting folk song "[[Arthur McBride]]", where the recruiters are struck with a shillelagh,{{sfn|Milner|Kaplan|1983a|pp=87–88}}{{sfn|James|2006}} and in the 19th-century song "[[Rocky Road to Dublin]]", in which references are made to fashioning a shillelagh ("I cut a stout blackthorn"), and using it ("shillalah"){{sfn|Carleton|1866|pp=59–63}} to hold a tied bag over one's shoulder, and using it as a striking weapon ("me shillelagh I let fly").{{sfn|Milner|Kaplan|1983b|pp=58–59}}
 
[[Charles Dibdin the younger]] wrote a song entitled "The Twig of Shelaly",{{sfn|Dibdin|1807|pp=85–87}} later reprinted as "The Twig of Shillelah".{{sfn|Dibdin|1810|pp=12–87}}
Line 55 ⟶ 79:
[[Bing Crosby]] recorded a song entitled "Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan" in the 1950s.{{sfn|Crosby|1952}}
 
== Modern usageuse ==
[[Image:Jeweledshillelagh.jpg|thumb|right|The Jeweled Shillelagh]]
The shillelagh came to be regarded as a stereotypical symbol of Irishness in popular culture,{{sfn|Hurley|2007|p=15}} particularly in an Irish-American context.
 
Members of a number of [[Irish_in_the_British_Armed_Forces#Regiments|Irish regiments in the British Armed Forces]] have traditionally carried Blackthorn sticks, including officers of the [[Irish Guards]],{{sfn|Matusitz|2014|p=208|loc=Officers of the Irish Guards are given shillelaghs upon graduation - just like Irish Regiments of the British Army in the past}} the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1992)|Royal Irish Regiment]] and the [[Royal Dragoon Guards]]. Officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the 1st Battalion/69th Infantry Regiment ([[69th Infantry Regiment (New York)|The Fighting 69th]]) of the [[New York Army National Guard]]'s [[27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)|27th Infantry Brigade]] also carry shillelaghs whilst on parade.{{sfn|Feuer|2005}}
 
In sports, the [[Boston Celtics]] logo hasdepicts a [[leprechaun]] leaningwith on hisa shillelagh, andas itdoes alsothe featureslogo withof the leprechaun on some logos of [[ConfraternityBrisbane of Brothers Clubs|Brothers]] [[Rugby league]] teamsteam in Australia. In San Diego, [[San Diego Padres|Padres]] broadcaster [[Mark Grant (baseball)|Mark Grant]] popularised the shillelagh as a rallying call, by using terms like "Shillelagh Power" to describe late-game heroics by the Padres. The success of the phrase led the San Diego Padres store to carry [[inflatable]] shillelaghs. Similarly, in theAmerican [[college football|college games of American football]], a [[Jeweled Shillelagh]] is the trophy given to the winner of the annual [[college rivalry|rivalry game]] between the [[USC Trojans|University of Southern California Trojans]] and the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish| University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish]].<ref>{{factCite web |title=Jeweled Shillelagh (USC vs. Notre Dame) |url=https://usctrojans.com/sports/2018/7/25/usc-history-traditions-jeweled-shillelagh-notre-dame-rivalry.aspx |access-date=December2023-10-11 2019|website=USC Athletics |language=en}}</ref>
 
AThe number of items take their name from the shillelagh, including theUS [[MGM-51 Shillelagh]] anti-tank missile, was named ''Shillelagh''.{{sfn|Matusitz|2014|p=208|loc=More recently, the MGM-51 antitank missile [..] was baptized as the "Shillelagh"}} andAn several aircraft of the US [[357th Fighter Group]] which werewas named for the''The clubShillelagh!'', andwith hada similarclub representativepainted noseon artthe nose.<ref>{{factcite web|dateurl =Julyhttps://toflyandfight.com/p-51b-profile-the-shillelagh/ | website = toflyandfight.com | title = P-51B/D Profile – "The Shillelagh" - 357th Fighter Group Profile| accessdate = 25 January 2024 2019}}</ref> In the tabletop game ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', 'shillelagh' is a low-level spell used by casters to make simple clubs into powerful bludgeoning weapons.{{sfn|Dungeons & Dragons|2014}}
 
== See also ==
* [[Arnis]], fighting sticks in the [[Martial arts|martial art]] of the [[Philippines]]
* [[Knobkerrie]], a similar club associated with Southern Africa and World War I British troops
* [[Rungu (weapon)]], a similar club common in East Africa
 
* [[Sgian-dubh]], a knife worn as part of Scottish Highland attire
==Further reading==
* [[Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball#Notable VP Parade incidents and activities]]
* {{cite book|last=O'Donnell |first=Patrick Denis |author-link=Patrick Denis O'Donnell |year=1975 |title=The Irish Factions Fighters of the 19th Century |publisher=Anvil Books |isbn=9780900068362978-0-900068-36-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sJbaAAAAMAAJ}}▼
 
== Footnotes ==
{{Commons category|Shillelagh}}▼
{{notelist}}
 
{{clear}}
 
== References ==
Line 85 ⟶ 108:
===Sources===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Barry |first=Michael |author-link=<!--Michael Barry (Irish writer)--> |title=Dublin's Strangest Tales: Extraordinary but true stories |publisher=[[Pavilion Books]] |year=2013 |isbn=9781909396449978-1-909396-44-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IrO_CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT9}}
* {{cite book|last=Carleton |first=William |author-link=William Carleton |title=Ireland: its scenery, character, &c |volume=1 |publisher=George Routledge and Sons |year=1877 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oncIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA142}}
* {{cite book |last=Carleton |first=Will |author-link=Will Carleton |title=Will. Carleton's "Dandy Pat" Songster: Being a Choice Collection of Songs |publisher=Dick and Fitzgerald |year=1866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULo-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA62}}
* {{cite journalcitation |last1=Chouinard |first1=Maxime |year=2007 |title=The stick is king: The Shillelagh Bata or the rediscovery of a living Irish martial tradition |s2cid=194134006 |work=Semantic Scholar |url=http://www.freifechter.com/files/stick_edited.pdf |access-date=5 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302040109/http://www.freifechter.com/files/stick_edited.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-02}}
* {{cite web|url=https://hemamisfits.com/2014/06/09/shillelaghs/ |last=Chouinard |first=Maxime |title=Shillelaghs |date=9 June 2014 |website=HEMA MISFITS (I don't do longsword)}}
* {{cite book |last=Colum |first=Padraic |author-link=Padraic Colum |year=1988 |title=A Treasury of Irish Folklore |publisher=Kilkenny Press |pages=397–399 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0517676125}}
* {{cite web |last=Crosby |first=Bing |date=1952 |title=Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan |url=https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/13890566 |access-date=19 July 2020}}
* {{cite journal |last=Crowley |first=T. |title=James Joyce: Here Comes Everyword |journal=Manchester Memoirs |volume=133 |publisher=[[Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society]] |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3weAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Dibdin|first=C., Jr. |author-link=Charles Dibdin the younger |titlechapter=The Twig of Shelaly |worktitle=Mirth and metre: consisting of poems [&c.]. |publisher=Vernor, Hood, & Sharpe |year=1807 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3yNYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA86}}
* {{cite book |last=Dibdin|first=C., Jr. |author-link=Charles Dibdin the younger |titlechapter=The Twig of Shillelah |worktitle=The Pride of Albion. A Collection of New and Pleasing Songs, Etc |publisher=T. Hughes |year=1810 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zzVYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA126}}
* {{cite dictionary |last=Dolan |first=Terence Patrick |title=shillelagh |dictionary=A Dictionary of Hiberno-English: The Irish Use of English |publisher=[[Gill & Macmillan]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780717140398 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RN0p1uienWMC&pg=PA209}}
* {{cite web |last=Feuer |first=Alan |date=18 March 2005 |title=Green Camouflage and Purple Hearts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/nyregion/18fighting.html| work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=6 October 2008}}
* {{cite book|last=Hall |first=S. C. |author-link=Mrs. S. C. Hall |title=Traits and stories of the Irish peasantry |year=1841 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ev-IOz-9ruAC&pg=PA426}}
* {{cite book|last=Hurley |first=John W. |year=2007 |title=Shillelagh: The Irish fighting stick |publisher=Caravat Press |isbn=978-1-4303-2570-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrFMHmsMmWAC}}
* {{cite book |last=James |first=Peter |year=2006 |title=Warehouse Eyes: the Albums of Bob Dylan |publisher=Lulu.com |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2BucuSs84UkC&pg=PA248 |page=248|isbn=9781411680845978-1-4116-8084-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mabey |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Mabey |year=1978 |title=Plantcraft: a guide to the everyday use of wild plants |publisher=Universe Books |isbn=9780801841903978-0-8018-4190-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8lxnAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book | last = Matusitz |first= Jonathan |title = Symbolism in Terrorism: Motivation, Communication, and Behavior | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | year = 2014 | isbn = 9781442235793978-1-4422-3579-3 }}
* {{cite book |last=McCann |first=Sean |author-link=Sean McCann (actor) |year=1972 |title=The Fighting Irish |publisher=Leslie Frewin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jT-CAAAAIAAJ |isbn=9780856320071978-0-85632-007-1}}
* {{cite book |last=McHugh |first=Roland |year=1991 |title=Annotations to Finnegans wake |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801841903978-0-8018-4190-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8lxnAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last1=Milner |first1=Dan |author-link1=Dan Milner |last2=Kaplan |first2=Paul |titlechapter=Arthur McBride |worktitle=Songs of England, Ireland, and Scotland: A Bonnie Bunch of Roses |publisher=Oak Publications |year=1983a |isbn=1-783234-92-X |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZpbIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT87}}
* {{cite book |last1=Milner |first1=Dan |author-link1=Dan Milner |last2=Kaplan |first2=Paul |titlechapter=The Rocky Road to Dublin |worktitle=Songs of England, Ireland, and Scotland: A Bonnie Bunch of Roses |publisher=Oak Publications |year=1983b |isbn=1-783234-92-X |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZpbIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58}}
* {{cite book | last =Wright O'Begly | first =William Conor |author-link title =s:Wright, WilliamAn (1837-1899)Focloir (DNB00)Bearla |year=1893Gaoidheilge |title publisher =The BrontësBar inna Ireland:chur acclodh le Seumas OrGuerin, Factsan Strangerbhiadhain Thandloir Fictionan tiaghurna |publisher year =[[Pavilion Books]]1732 | page = 145 | url = https://archivebooks.orggoogle.com/details/brontsinireland01wriggoogbooks?id=G00_AAAAcAAJ&q=cudgel | via = books.google.com }}
* {{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Ronan |date=2022 |title=Bataireacht: The ancient Irish martial art making a comeback |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221016-bataireacht-the-ancient-irish-martial-art-making-a-comeback |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Wright |first=William |author-link=s:Wright, William (1837–1899) (DNB00) |year=1893 |title=The Brontës in Ireland: Or, Facts Stranger Than Fiction |publisher=[[Pavilion Books]] |url=https://archive.org/details/brontsinireland01wriggoog}}
* {{cite news |author=Y. |date=24 February 2000 |title=How black is a blackthorn? |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/how-black-is-a-blackthorn-1.248616 |ref={{harvid|Irish Times|2000}} }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=shillelagh |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary |website=etymonline.com |title=Shillelagh |ref={{harvid|Etymology Online}} }}
* {{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/178130?redirectedFrom=shillelagh#eid |chapter=Shillelagh |title=Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition, Volume 15) |ref={{harvid|Oxford English Dictionary|1989}} |chapter-url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite book |series=Dungeons & Dragons |title=Player's Handbook |edition=5th |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7869-6560-1 |url=http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_playershandbook |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140824153624/http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_playershandbook |url-status=live|archive-date=24 August 2014 |ref={{harvid|Dungeons & Dragons|2014}}}}
{{Refend}}
 
==FurtherExternal readinglinks==
▲{{Commons category|Shillelagh}}
▲* {{cite book|last=O'Donnell |first=Patrick Denis |author-link=Patrick Denis O'Donnell |year=1975 |title=The Irish Factions Fighters of the 19th Century |publisher=Anvil Books |isbn=9780900068362 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sJbaAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-15150299 | title = Irish stick-fighting popularity grows but not in Ireland | work = BBC News | date = 3 October 2011 }}
 
[[Category:Clubs (weapon)]]
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