A hub for the music, culture, knowledge, and practice of Irish stick-fighting, past and present.
Patrick Jones’ “My Blackthorn Stick” In honour of Saint Patrick’s Day, I’m delighted to have secured permission to share a previously unpublished poem titled “My Blackthorn Stick” by Patrick Jones (c. 1875–1956) of County Cork, Ireland. The text depicts the experience of finding a shillelagh-worthy blackthorn shank, the labour of transforming it into a proper … Continue reading Shillelagh Poem for Saint Patrick’s Day
Archives, Libraries, and Networking to Find the Music and Culture of Irish Stick-fighting. From mid-October to the end of November 2018, I was hosted by the Department of Music at University College Cork (UCC) during fieldwork in Éire for a James M. Flaherty Research Scholarship from the Ireland Canada University Foundation (ICUF). The primary objective … Continue reading Research Update: Fieldwork Visit Report
An Overview of Irish Stick-fighting and Its Musical Legacy. A shillelagh is a wooden cudgel, and the word is pronounced “shuh-lay-lee.” More specifically, a shillelagh is an Irish style of stout, knobbed stick that can function as a weapon. In this introductory blog post, I define the word shillelagh is three ways. First, I consider … Continue reading What Is a Shillelagh?
Shillelagh Studies 