Genuine Handmade Irish Shillelagh
|This is the genuine walking stick handmade in Ireland and bearing the same name as the town traditionally known as the source of its origin centuries ago–Shillelagh. Located in County Wicklow in southeastern Ireland, the town is situated near robust stands of blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), the wood species used to make each shillelagh, selected for its superior weight-to-hardness ratio.
Each stick is harvested from specimens of the stout wood in remote areas of County Wicklow, Cork, and Kerry, and each is hand-sanded and lacquered with a high-gloss finish–no two sticks are identical and the handles will vary in shape due to blackthorn;s natural growth patterns. Thought to have elongated into its present form from its shorter fighting stick predecessor, today they are used by farmers for herding sheep or cattle, or simply as walking companions–many are considered family heirlooms.