The Shillelagh - An Irish Fighting stick, walking stick, and club

An overview of the weapon/club known as the Shillelagh
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Moves Featured:
Gangs of New York 2002
Valhalla Rising 2009
Captain Boycott 1947
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

For pronunciation I did my best. Any issues meet me for a Shillelagh duel outside the King's Arms.

[@kyledunn6853]

Thanks Johnny. 🍻 Sleinté.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Lemme have *(hic)* a few more drinks first...

[@kyledunn6853]

Oh my God. Somebody's hard on the liquor.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Get in the Queue...

[@Stormonu]

Better than I did when I first encountered this weapon in D&D - used to call it a shill - lee - log, 'til one of my players taught me better.

[@frankt5682]

"You can accomplish more with kind words and a Shillelagh, than with kind words alone."

[@k-dogg9086]

"Speak Softly but carry a Big stick."

[@IrismonoYT]

@joe blogs it's paraphrasing a quote frequently attributed to Al Capone.

[@jrooksable]

Well DUH🤣

[@jackmehoffe9372]

Fucking hell you're so funny

[@IrismonoYT]

@Dennis Sullivan Referencing a now deleted comment. The phrase in question is "You can accomplish more with kind words and a gun, than with kind words alone.", which is attributed to Al Capone.

[@michelveilleux2075]

As my great grandfather had once said. "A cane, a club, and three minutes of pure whoop ass to convince the bastard they're in the wrong."

[@schrisdellopoulos9244]

Sure he did.

[@BennyLlama39]

How do you use the remaining 2 minutes and 50 seconds? A variation of kneecapping, a broken jaw, and a hit to the midsection (not necessarily in that order) don't take very long. 😈

[@CranialExtractor]

This is one of the most amazing things I have ever heard.

[@justleeguy9195]

@@BennyLlama39 Mostly taunting them while they're down.

[@andrewmize823]

My maternal great-grandfather was Irish. During the great depression, nobody liked to throw stuff away--even if it was broken. He took a baseball bat that had the handle broken off and carved it down to use as a small cudgel, which he referred to as his shillelagh. It's not a shillelagh in the traditional sense, but I think he called it that as a matter of function rather than form. Anyway, it's going on a hundred years old and it's still a rock-solid piece of hickory as well as a piece of family history.

[@justinrill2483]

nice story, thx for sharing

[@padraigmaclochlainn8866]

The Irish-Americans shillelagh

[@JamusChristus]

As far as I'm concerned, that's a shillelagh.

[@chonconnor6144]

Your grandfather was right.

[@phoenixjim0527]

[I deleted a silly comment. Forgot to do so sooner.]

[@MrLukeVideos]

I'm Irish and never really knew anything about these sticks even though i grew up seeing them about. Funnily enough when you started showing pictures a memory popped up in my head of an old stick my mum keeps. I rummage around the house looking for it, low and behold we actually have an old ass Shillelagh stick. Talk about fulfilling your own stereotypes.

[@LeatherCladVegan]

Um, I'm pretty sure that 'Mum's old ass shillelagh' has a completely different purpose.

[@tobe1207]

You think it's just a stereotype?

[@MrLukeVideos]

@@tobe1207 I mean that's kinda my point. I watched a video about a hugely stereotypical Irish item only to look in my own home and find one.

[@dazdeluxe6672]

Mr Luke, You must Be American, surely?

[@billdershem6714]

​@@LeatherCladVeganTHAT.. made me LAUGH!! Very nice!!

[@dalej1]

In Pan Tadeusz, Poland's national epic, there is a description of an ancient Lithuanian method of making war clubs. One finds a young oak, makes small, shallow cuts in it's bark, and put bits of sharp flint in it. Over the years, the tree grows over the fling and holds it firmly in place. Some years later you cut the oak out and have a perfect war club material. It is said in the ancient times it used to be the main weapon of Lithuanian infantry. The giant club used by the character from Pan Tadeusz was called "sprinkler" (holy water tool) by its owner, nicked "The Baptist". :)

[@jackiekittridge-steele385]

Very interesting- thanks! Those must have been brutal battles...

[@algirdassalomskas9050]

thank you for sharing this very interesting knowledge, I had no idea of this even as a Lithuanian taking an interest in history

[@philrobbie1670]

in Leon Uris' 'Poland' this method is used by a main character.

[@WojciechP915]

That is wild

[@theprodigalson4003]

That’s so fricking cool

[@brokencupoftea705]

I am Irish, lived in Ireland all my life. Didn't know it had a name. To us it was always "grandads walking stick" that he keeps beside the couch.

[@doubleclick4132]

its always outsiders and pretenders who romanticize common object from other cultures

[@Krawn_]

@@doubleclick4132 nation (n.) c. 1300, nacioun, "a race of people, large group of people with common ancestry and language," from Old French nacion "birth, rank; descendants, relatives; country, homeland" (12c.) and directly from Latin nationem (nominative natio) "birth, origin; breed, stock, kind, species; race of people, tribe," literally "that which has been born," from natus, past participle of nasci "be born" (Old Latin gnasci), from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

[@doubleclick4132]

@@Krawn_ deserter [ dih-zur-ter ] (n.) 1.) a soldier or draftee who leaves or runs away from service or duty with the intention of never returning: Deserters from the rebel army tell of low morale among its remaining fighters. 2.) a person who fails to uphold a cause or who abandons someone else, especially in violation of a promise or obligation: Some of those remaining in the home country view emigrants living abroad as deserters from their mother culture.

[@irish-thinker4429]

I'm from offaly, it's always been called a shalleigh in my house

[@lawrencejones5640]

I'm Australian and that's exactly my story too

[@Donor_Carcy]

Keep the Irish history coming, I love seeing the representation!

[@Connorparker155]

Yeooooooooo

[@quartzking3997]

Your most notable weapon is literally a fucking stick. What’s the difference between Irish people and cavemen?

[@Leightr]

In the US, alls I ever learned about that club was from some folk song that advised cutting a "stout blackthorn" (apparently to "banish ghosts and goblins") before starting a journey and that if in London and rude Londoners push my patience past a certain point I should "my shillelagh let fly" provided a few young men from "Galway" are in the vicinity to assist. I think I'll need a guidebook if I ever visit the UK, the customs seem a bit complicated.

[@colemanstarr5404]

If you do it right you'll quickly clear the way ...

[@lazlow9640]

No lad, it was the Boys of Liverpool you were fighting.

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

@@lazlow9640 They called him such a fool he could no longer stand it. His blood began to boil, he was losing his temper. Then they began abusing poor old Erin’s Isle

[@clarencewalker3925]

An old shipmate said, "He may be bigger, faster or stronger but there's nothing like a piece of wood." Wise words. He was one hell of a stick fighter.

[@robchilders]

I've got a blackthorn walking stick. It's heft gives me a comfort on walks. Thanks for covering it.

[@lisafish1449]

I also have a blackthorn stick. Mine has the former owner's initials on a silver cap. It is a prize possession and I enjoy walking with it.

[@rwcowell]

The shillelagh isn't a concept that is nothing new. Man has been beating and killing their fellow man with clubs, shillelaghs, or bataans for over dozens of millennia. However many of those Irish made blackthorn shillelaghs are beautiful works of art. I would like to get an authentically made blackthorn shillelagh walking stick from Ireland someday.

[@VikingTeddy]

Looks a lot lika a knobkerrie, it's a good shape so convergent evolution is to be expected.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Recommend County Clare especially Bunratty castle and then a few pints at Durty Nellys afterwards..

[@realhorrorshow8547]

My blackthorn knobstick is from the Derbyshire Peak District.

[@mr.bullionnaire9748]

Also check out Francis Mccaffrey he's got a pretty good selection of authentic shillelaghs made by himself.

[@casperbosman1896]

Yeah i got my knobkerrie right next to my sjambok

[@TheMrhockey]

Before my great grandfather passed away he gave my dad what I thought was a weird walking stick. It was a shillelagh 🤯

[@oakmaiden2133]

As a ten year old girl on a camping trip, I found an oak sapling that was bent at the base. Perfect hand hold. I cut it down, trimmed and skinned it. I turned 60 last month and that stick of mine is currently on my back porch. I’m also a wee bit Irish, so I guess it came naturally!😊😅

[@showtale8325]

I collect Interesting " sticks " I find on my hikes in the woods. I find an appropriate stick on every journey, usually the stick finds me. I simply keep them as souvenirs of my adventures. They must be ergonomic ,sturdy and have some sort of intrinsic quality. Normally a chosen stick will serve much purpose in my exploration. I never thought of enhancing them as described. An idea I suppose

[@Patrick.Weightman]

Monk made me realize how damn effective clubs are in combat. It's much easier to gravely cripple an enemy than slash through armor

[@just-dl]

In warfare there’s an advantage to crippling an opponent. The dead will be left until after the battle. The wounded may require 1-2 people to assist him off the field. So every crippled enemy is 2-3 enemies removed from action. In ugly but useful reality in combat.

[@Patrick.Weightman]

@@just-dl Absolutely true. Just look at mines in WWII or booby traps in Vietnam (that were used offensively). Nearly their entire purpose was to over-encumber platoons with wounded

[@just-dl]

@@Patrick.Weightman makes me a bit sad to be part of a species that's so good at finding new ways to hurt each other.....

[@secretsix43]

@@just-dl Good practice in case we run into something that threatens all of us.

[@just-dl]

@@secretsix43 there’s a sci-Fi short story from years ago from Larry Niven. In the future, humans quit fighting each other and lived a relatively peaceful life which the aliens mistakes for a sign of weakness because they did not “practice war.” The author s editorial was “the reason humans did not practice war and violence is because they were already very, very good at it. Rings true….

[@albertperrin694]

I was given one by an Irish family. The husband made them. Green strong wood, a piece of the Blarney Stone sounded like Blarney to me, with 4 leaf clovers lacquered in. There is a lovely rich brown lacquer and many clear varnish layers. The head is a serious weapon, but just a great walking stick to me. I have replaced the cane tip many times. At a distance while walking on a path in the forest a woman far away freaked out thinking it was a rifle over my shoulders.

[@padraigpearse1551]

Yess loved this unexpected video! We actually have my great grandfathers shillelagh hanging above our fireplace that was passed down through the family. It's hit many people in its time from policemen in the Land War to british soldiers in the Troubles

[@IRAwhiskey]

Hopefully she has a few knotches on her too 😉😂

[@crankfastle8146]

Sure thing Yank 🤣🤣

[@padraigpearse1551]

@@crankfastle8146 literally born, raised and still live in Derry my guy

[@Sparkykelly1]

From The Big Smoke myself. Thanks for sharing your story 👍☘️

[@SSD_Penumbra]

Also, it may have its roots (no pun intended) in Irish mythology. Blackthorn was believed to have mystical properties and would be deadly to creatures, living or otherwise. In an Irish myth about a vampire-like man named Abhertach, a local boy uses a sword made from blackthorn to kill Abhertach. Storytellers in Ireland often tell how Fae creatures like changelings can be killed with blackthorn too.

[@cameronmcleod7740]

My father, a Scottish immigrant not Irish mind you, made his own rootball club from a tree at our house. Now I have it. But his preferred club of choice was an old axe handle cut off below axe head. I never snuck out in HS for free of being mistaken for an intruder and getting brained.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

An old friend gifted me a lead filled shillelagh from Ireland. I keep it by the bed as a redundancy in case the lead filled .45 under my pillow jams.

[@gooraway1]

I think we deserved a translation of that lovely Irishman's discussion on the weapon.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Here is his full video. Brilliant to listen to but takes a few goes kzbin.info/www/bejne/oprXfH9teraaiqs

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Accents...discuss...

[@BokorugroRR]

Maybe it was mentioned before, a similar weapon is the Hungarian “fokos” a kind of shepard’s axe. A hybrid of a small axe, walking stick and general survival tool.

[@lftr_react]

Just got back from Ireland. It was not on our itinerary, but my gf called the shop owner and he agreed to open the shop for us. 2hr drive straight off the plane down tight country roads to Shillelagh... worth it. Now a piece of Ireland is home with me. Thank you to Liam at Olde Shillelagh for accommodating us!

[@geezerhull]

I was 77 with a bad hip and 8 heart attacks and was working in a rather dicey part of town. I use one of those shillelaghs as a walking stick, I had a meth head decide to take me on in a stairwell. I shifted my grip on it and asked him "really?" He decided maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. also, it has saved me from many a fall. Thank you Ireland from a yank.

[@benitoharrycollmann132]

Man your content is always informative and exactly as advertised. I'd love to see you do a video on the infamous Ghurka kukri. I know you'd do it much justice

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

that's definitely on my list!

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Mrs C,a da found his very handy, as well as his sword bayonet ( 1918 issue)

[@sawyere2496]

I’d say it’s more famous than infamous.

[@geoffreybennett8912]

The reason they are so notorious is that when they draw it from the scabbard, they have to draw blood from an enemy, and if they don't, they have to draw blood from themselves. Many Australians in the jungle of Asia in WW2 saw this and thought it a little strange until it was explained to them that it is a part of their very being and that they have a duty to protect their own, so they don't draw their weapon unless they are going to use it for its intended purpose, to kill. Many of the Gurkha have scars on their legs and arms and chest from their blades because they didn't draw blood from an enemy so they had to draw their own. And, of course, the fact that they are so feared is a testament to their courage and skill with their blades.

[@BlackRifleBear]

Very good pronunciation! My grandfather is Irish and he has one of these (an original) hanging on his office wall since I was a kid. His also has stones inside the club end.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Johnny speaks better English than a lot round here ( Merseyside) ..as regards Gaelic...10 on 10..

[@user-fg9ch9jp7m]

Stones, that Atk+10 at least.

[@fuferito]

I was first introduced to the Shillelagh more than thirty years ago, while looking at free spells in the Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook.

[@R7Rolan1]

The shillelagh was introduced to me not in a movie, but by WWE. I remember the one called 'Little Bastard' (later to be known as Hornswoggle) use to assist Finlay in his matches (or was it Finlay? I don't remember).

[@TheMitchellExpress]

I think he used to hand it to Finlay

[@mastawayne9326]

Same here.

[@iowa_lot_to_travel9471]

Yes. An an absolute must have for the cargo pockets. Thanks Johnny. 🔥🔥💪💪👍👍

[@Deatheater4444]

Bonk was man's first weapon, and Bonk is with us always.

[@SlickCookie]

The ol reliable big stick. Can’t get wrong with it

[@ddsmitty1]

i adorned my Shillelagh with little dangly bits of gold and gems. they were my lucky charms.

[@Babidi111]

- I always wanted one of those authentic ones. They are just such lowtech pieces of art.

[@bongodrumzz]

I have a couple of these from an irish uncle when he passed away, and a few African ones (made from Ebony) from my grandad, and they are beautiful. In the right hands also deadly. Cheers for this video Johnny, you picked another great topic and did it well!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

An ebony one would be amazing

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Nigeria and Ireland do share a few things, like drums that talk...Phil Collins can testify to that..Sina the celebrated young German percussionist, is a dab hand on the Bodrhan ( I have a few...) ...

[@robbie6625]

Jeez, an ebony one would be incredibly valuable.

[@20chocsaday]

Is that the type of Ebony that grows fast and has white flecks running through it? A man pointed out six trees growing together and said they were not worth anything because of that.

[@bongodrumzz]

@@eamonnclabby7067 and that old favourite, Nigerian lager?? lol

[@Kruppt808]

As a person who loves movies and shows introducing me to new weapons and other misc stuff. This is a perfect channel for me.

[@alasdairmackintosh]

Scotland had used the Shillelagh as well since the disarming act came into place banning the highland dirk and other traditional weapons. In Scotland they were referred to as Kebbie sticks. Not much difference in the way that they were crafted either. I like that it's a personalized weapon, and there aren't a lot of rules surrounding what constitutes as a shillelagh. I live in Canada and make war clubs, canes, and walking sticks for a hobby. I've used green ash to make a few shillelaghs and currently I'm making a short fighting stick with a crook/mallet shaped striking end out of a very nice and dense piece of cherry

[@D.M.S.]

And I learned something new. I really love that you bring new topics into the mix

[@crazypiratesquirrel3038]

I’ve known the word shillelagh from a toddler. I grew up in Ohio with my great-grandfathers’ brothers (I believe) shillelagh leaning in the corner of the family tv room. It looks almost exactly like the one far right in the photo of multiple shillelaghs (1:09) with the only difference is mine has thorns on the shaft. It’s a beautiful piece!

[@RX552VBK]

My father's boss had one over his fire place. When I was 11, we went to his house in the North Bronx (NYC) on a Saturday. He had one that was like "honey" colored or something like that (this was 1977 after all---loooong time ago), I always thought it was a dinosaur bone. lol

[@srice8959]

I have my Great Grandfather’s & his Brothers also still, and you can tell by the Multiple Strikes and Dents in it that it was well Used. Both my G. Grandfather, G. Uncle Blackie were both Union Organizers here in New Orleans, Louisiana. Me and my ancestors that left Ireland during the Great Potato Genocide have lived and raised their family all the way down to my generation in a Neighborhood known as “The Irish Channel”

[@HandyMan657]

I still have grandpas, the old fella left me a lot of nifty stuff.

[@fletchkeilman2205]

Love this video....I revisit this specific one every so often. This channel is the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you for that

[@WUZLE]

There was one of these in an antique store I visited in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. I would have bought it had it not been so expensive. And it was HEAVY. Heavier than most maces in my experience. The head was at least four inches in diameter.

[@Rebellescum]

the head might be filled with lead

[@laniemon]

Thank you for introducing a weapon that some people really don't know about

[@Taomantom]

I acquired a shillelagh when I was visiting Ireland 20 plus years ago. The copper tip worried people so much I covered it in tool rubberizing material.

[@stelleratorsuprise8185]

I had an authentic older walking stick (German not Irish) the knob on the end was filled with lead (or similar) the stick was made of little leather disks with an iron/steel core, the tip (the part touching the ground) was massive iron/steel conical and relative pointy. These harmless looking walking sticks where often used as weapons of self-defense.

[@zali13]

Good stuff, sir. I hadn't made the connection between the shillelagh and the cudgel in Gangs of New York! Thank you for enlightening me!

[@Saintbow]

We used to call our wooden hockey sticks a shillelagh. My brother and I would always duel on this knocked down massive pine tree. It would help with your balance and the goal of the duel was to knock the other person off. Since there was only advancing and retreating, it forced you to work on your hand eye coordination too.

[@druid139]

Aw camán!

[@cathalodiubhain5739]

@@druid139 hahah

[@ronfroehlich4697]

I still use a wooden hockey stick (Sherwood 5030) and will henceforth honor my Irish ancestors by referring to it as a shillelagh.

[@redpillers2361]

In Spain we got the same tipe of clubs, tipical Celti Iberian weapon easy to made. We use Acebuche (Wild olive branches) Very especial Wood to made clubs and baton.

[@dirtpoorchris]

I love the "cheap shots" from irish stick fighting. Using the extra club weight to do swinging looping attack that hit people in the top or back of the head.

[@thinnerdounut]

Some people remember the Shillelagh from movies or documentaries, but for me I remember it from a character named Haggis McHaggis on the Ren and Stimpy show.

[@oopsydaizi3s824]

Woah that was a flashback

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Aye its a beautiful weapon no doubt about it but the queen still holds the field, her name be the spear and by her side be the king, the shield.

[@kyledunn6853]

"Ten per notch? Per new notch. Then I'm your man." "He killed 44 men. And laid low a couple hundred more."

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

lol I immediately thought of you when adding that scene.

[@kyledunn6853]

Good call.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Lol he just made the reference in a previous video comment

[@kyledunn6853]

I would've gone with Daniel Day-Lewis' line before he brained Monk outside the barber shop. But I don't think anyone would want to hear offensive language about the Irish.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@kyledunn6853 don,t worry ,Geraldis Cambrensius ,did for us when the Normans came to Ireland...that said they ended up being more Irish than the Irish...beyond the pale...

[@garfieldsmith332]

And from Shillelagh came the game of Hurling using the Hurley. The object being to hit the opponents as often and as hard as you can.😊😊

[@sarmadusmani4792]

As jason statham puts it about hurling in Blitz: "a cross between hockey and murder!"

[@victorwaddell6530]

I'm American and love our version of football , but Hurling is my favorite sport .

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@victorwaddell6530 indeed, whenever I go back to Ireland ( an adopted son of Birkhenhead...) it is a really big thing with the fierce competition at County level, mind you the shoreline of Ireland goes up two inches when Liverpool, Celtic ,Rangers, Manchester city and United are playing home games

[@SImonDeLikaeble]

@@sarmadusmani4792 Great line. It was a good movie as well.

[@evilmiyoho6742]

That actor is Colm from The Banshees of Inisherin, a recent irish film nominated to the Oscars, I'm gonna watch this one now. I'm a Mads Mikkelsen fnatic, Valhalla rising was one of his first movies there in Denmark, what a great ambientation.

[@manamorph]

Incredible. I stumbled upon your channel today and am genuinely gobsmacked by the quality of your videos. Thank you!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks Ty I appreciate that

[@williamkuhns2387]

I saw an antique one in th museum at Mission San Luis Obispo, in California. It had the main stem walking stick with rounded knob but it had originally when growing had been "coppiced" so the blackthorn tree grew 4 or 5 very thin stems sprouting from knob of shilleilie stick. The green thin sticks were braided down the length of shaft and dried to hold twists when ready to harvest. The thin braided sticks had long sharp thorns all along their length. In the hands of an expert this would not be something to mess with!

[@docmoody6908]

1st Nation people refer to them as war clubs. But they are made from birch tree roots and hand crafted much like the Irish technique.

[@VikingTeddy]

I'd be interested in seeing ww1 trench fighting weapons. Everything from a hefty stick or spade to a shotgun.

[@matthaft2048]

InRangeTv did a really good video on them. But I second your notion lol

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@matthaft2048 thirded....

[@KevinSmith-yh6tl]

I AGREE 👍

[@MyBlueZed]

I saw the title Irish Clubs and thought pubs? 🤣🍺 This is a wonderful channel and I look forward to seeing the alerts for new posts. ❤️🇦🇺

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks for the kind words

[@Gator-357]

I have a collection of walking sticks from around the world and have 3 shillelaghs from Ireland two are Blackthorn and one is oak. I take them along regularly when walking my dogs and they have proven useful on more than one occasion. I have found that a good old fashioned speed knot is a good attitude adjustment tool for both man and beast.

[@juanmonge7418]

Did you beat the dogs or humans with it ?

[@urseliusurgel4365]

There is also the 'ashplant', an Irish stick made of ash, a dense and strong wood. It was more obviously a walking stick, having a bent handle, but could also be seasoned in the chimney and be filled with lead to make it more of a weapon. Famously used by James Joyce to discourage dogs, which he disliked.

[@edgaraquino2324]

Good comment, UU! British tanker officers carry them...originally, the officers used them in the Great War to test the firmness of the ground before allowing their tanks to advance...Irish Guard officers carry the shillelagh, cavalry officers a riding crop...too bad about Joyce, I love dogs....

[@Amaterasu2511]

The algorithm scares me. I've never searched scenes from this movie yet I talked to my roommate about it last nite. Suddenly videos about it are everywhere.

[@JimmySteller]

I learned what a shillelagh was purely because of Monk McGinn. One of the most fascinating side characters of any film I've yet seen. I'd have gladly watched a whole series about his life story.

[@murphykenji]

We have a shillelagh in our family, my aunt has it now but when I was growing up my father kept it in his study.

[@parttimetourist]

It is made from Black Thorn (which is very hard) so is the Black Thorn walking stick and the Peterson Briar pipe All of them were in our house when I was growing up in Ireland

[@kloss213]

Got 1 from my great uncle it's got a hard ball on top and a brass endpoint so can be used as a club on both ends. It's a bit short to use as a walking stick for my tall frame but fit him very well.

[@godangelis]

My dad had a few of these. All of them were pretty narrow but had the club like head and the bottoms of the torns were left on. I don't know if it is a normal characteristic but they are pretty flexible too

[@0tteru]

I didn't know these were a specific thing, my grandparents were Irish and my dad had one of these

[@Quonzer]

It feels it's like a combination between a club, a staff, and a mace.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

The best quality are made from the roots of old blackthorn bushes. They're very thick, dense and as tough as hickory. I have my own and my brother has our grandfather's

[@oscarmoloneydaly8205]

Amazing one johnny, thank you for repping 80% of my military history 🙏

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks for the kind words man

[@bigblue6917]

The Zulu knobkerrie was a very similar weapon to the shillelagh. If you watch the film Zulu it is the weapon which the Zulus use to beat on their shields. Like the shillelagh the knobkerrie could also give you quite the headache. The problem for the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile used in the M60A2 was that once a shell had been fired from the gun it messed up the guns ability to fire the missile. As we are looking at wooden weapons the famous quarterstaff would make a very good subject as it is widely regarded that the staff was among the best, if not the very best, of all hand weapons.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I definitely could have some fun making a quarterstaff video

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I ,ll put the word out to Sherwood forest....

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq try Hay and Kyle on KZbin...they hail from that neck of the woods..literally.!!they might be able to advise, thoroughly nice couple, they produce excellent posts on the Peak district and North Wales....I keep trying to coax them onto the Wirral...good luck Johnny...E

[@chrisperrien7055]

Starship tanker or airborne tanker by chance ?

[@rakninja]

i'd give the staff a distant second to "the very best handheld weapon." the spear, however, wins the contest by several country miles. it has everything about the staff built into it, with the addition of piercing and/ or slashing components. i dont want to downplay the staff too much, though. a lot of what makes the spear so good is how it is basically an improved staff.

[@evansanchez5894]

The katana would be a great video, tons of material for that one

[@robinrobyn1714]

Whoa!! I have watched "Gangs of New York", several times and I never realized that Bill the Butcher was using MC Guinns own shillelagh against him

[@crumpetcommandos779]

The 45th notch

[@jamesvaughan8395]

FINALLY! A video with historical interests, where the focus, and the point, is the history, not a political subversion of history.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Much appreciated words 🙏

[@inregionecaecorum]

Didn't know the name came from willow which is my favourite wood for making walking sticks these days, but back in the day I did used to make shillelaghs from blackthorn.

[@_-KR-_]

I have a shilleleigh! handed down from a passed family member. I prize it and sometimes use it when my leg or foot hurts.

[@Greywolf1066]

Good stuff man. I walk with one I made myself out of 30 year seasoned oak, mainly to protect myself and my dog from the unleashed.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

They will never go out of style and always be practical

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq absolutely...

[@stephenkeefer3436]

Good one Johnny. Well structured and entertaining.

[@michaelray4033]

Now that line from "Rocky Road to Dublin" makes sense.

[@tylerloving7132]

A customer of mine made one for me. About a four foot long walking stick with spiked studs nailed into it. It’s freaking awesome.

[@mattnobrega6621]

I think it was Roosevelt that said, " speak softly and carry a big stick" 😏👍

[@JohnDoesItAll]

My grandfather kept his on the wall; two broken pieces forming an X with withered flowers. The story behind it was that a man was shouting at his dog and kicked her while crossing a small bridge exiting the park. I guess my grandfather was merciful and only beat him with the mid section rather than ball end until it broke in half.

[@hansmerker5611]

I suggest the: M-16 AK-47 Tomahawk Pike Halberd Crossbow Longbow Composite bow

[@jackstecker5796]

If memory serves, nunc-chucks started as a farming implement, and weaponized as the Chinese weren't permitted to have weapons.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Now that would be a fun video to make

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq they always flew out of my hand...Bruce Lee..not...

[@tommytitmouse]

Blackthorn weighs a hellova weight . I used to make walking sticks and tried cutting a few Blackthorn sticks to try a few as "walking sticks". However when I made them , not many people wanted to buy one because of the sheer weight you have to carry around as opposed to say a Hazel shank now if you consider a shillelagh with a pretty big rootball (knob) on the end of it , you can see that weight increase the stick even more this is why I think many you see are short and under two feet long .

[@subsidingjoshua9354]

Great Video! Love the Lord of the Rings reference. lol

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Me too...

[@mileonaslionclaw2525]

If I live long enough to become an old man I’m getting myself a shillelagh for my walking stick XD

[@nachomac10]

If you are interested in fighting sticks, i reccomend you to take a look at Makilas, a basque stick with a hidden metal point

[@Supernaught00]

Awesome video, thank you for taking the time.

[@wizar6712]

And my favorite druid spell!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Hell ya

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq a pint of Guinness and a glass of Bushmills or Jameson, a works just as well..

[@corvusscottwilliams4751]

Also they could be used to pull shields down. Get a splinter of blackthorn in you and it turns sceptic very fast.

[@Mr66Yellow]

I learned something new today. Thx

[@thomasmcdaniel765]

Im an Irish American and never knew the history of the shillelagh Thanks for the vid. Sorry for the spelling.

[@RW77777777]

I like the last 10 secs with the black ops team member; who despite the need for secrecy, will carry non-standard issue equipment on a mission

[@maddyg3208]

Thanks Johnny, I wouldn't have thought of this topic, well done. My dad told me he found two shillelaghs when he was cleaning out my granddad's house here in Aust in the 60s. They would have belonged to my great granddad, who emigrated from Ireland in 1882. My dad threw them out though

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Sad to read this...maybe one day you can visit Ireland, best wishes from the wirral peninsula,bounded by the mersey and the Dee and the Irish sea...geography and rhyme...E

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Dang sad to read that as well.

[@maddyg3208]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqThough we still have my greatgranddad's sea chest, which survived his six month journey by sailing ship to Australia. In fact we also have another Irish GGD's sea chest, which looks like something pirates would have buried treasure in

[@maddyg3208]

@@eamonnclabby7067 Don't worry, I've been to Ireland four times, and still know (distant) relatives in Dublin, Bray and west Cork Wouldn't mind seeing your peninsula though

[@cobyporschifer221]

What a AWESOME video ! Thanks for posting you rock Bruther !☘

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks for the kind words man

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Video: **Tries to show me a clear shot of the club** Popup: "Aww how sweet, you came all this way just for a clear look at me."