My particular favorite is this; my shillelagh. Being the grandson of an Irishman from Limerick, I hold very close to my Celtic heritage. I enjoy the culture, art, history, and values. I wear a silver Celtic knot on my left index finger at all times. I know I'm probably as Irish as the Notre Dame football team, but I identify strongly with that heritage anyway. Enough of that though. On to the shillelagh.
The shillelagh is basically a war club. The name comes from the village they originated in. When the English invaded Ireland, they cracked down heavily on Catholics, especially during the reign of James VI eventually banning the ownership of weapons for Catholics. The shillelagh served the purpose of a cladestine weapon in the upheaval between Ireland and England in the years that followed.
The English needed wood for their navy and subsequently set about deforesting Ireland's great oak forests. The oak clubs of old were replaced quickly with a new tough wood called sloe. Sloe is a relative to Hawthorn, a thorny, dense shrub. The sticks would be cut from the shrubs in such a way as to allow for more to be harvested every year. The sticks were cut, covered in lard, and left in a chimney to cure.This typically gave them a black appearance. These were disguised as walking sticks, but many had lead in the head to weight it for impact. Even without the given weight, a shillelagh will crack a skull if swung hard enough. They were sometimes used to settle legal disputes and as a gentlemanly way of solving personal arguments, similar to pistols in America.
Since the end of English rule in Ireland, the need for the shillelagh has disappeared. They may be found around Ireland occasionally, but enterprising craftsmen this side of the Pond have made a good bundle selling them to Irish-Americans, especially around March. It's even carried by NCOs of the New York National Guard Regiment, The Fighting 69th (though I can't find any information as to whether they carried it to Iraq or used it when stationed there XD).
I really don't know what the wood is. My art teacher Mr. Black gave it to me. He teaches Sculpture and I'm his office aide that period which just means I get out the supplies, put them away at the end of the period, and help out where I can. One project for the class was a walking staff, just to get the city kids used to carving wood before the launched into a sculpture in it. I did it for the class last semester, but this semester I'm the aide, so I do what I want, when I want, and don't worry about a grade. He said it might be walnut, which is possible, but like I said, I don't know. Enough talk, here it is.
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