Blackthorn Shillelagh

The Blackthorn bush is found throughout Ireland and the British Isles. It has been prized for centuries as a material for premium walking sticks. The original Blackthorn sticks were 2 to 4 foot long Irish shillelaghs (the national weapon of rural Ireland). In expert hands the shillelagh was so fearsome that during the final occupation of Ireland, the English outlawed it. To get around the law, the Irish turned the shillelagh into a 3-foot walking stick. The English didn’t want to appear unreasonable by outlawing walking sticks too, so the Irish kept their modified shillelaghs and the world gained a beautiful and functional walking stick known simply as the Blackthorn. For 2016, we are proud to add a “little brother” to our line-up. A shorter, lighter model that we simply named the Blackthorn Shillelagh. Modeled after an ancient cudgel in Lynn C. Thompson’s private collection, the Blackthorn Shillelagh mimics the look, feel and balance of the original, but made from high-impact polymer that will withstand even the harshest weather conditions. With a handsome bark-like wood texture and raised “clipped thorns” on the shaft, and a highly polished faux-wood head, this good looking stick will be sure to turn heads – whether it is carried under your arm at a historical re-enactment event, or simply hung on the wall.