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Dingle Peninsula – one of Ireland's most photographed locations – has strong historical ties to bataireacht (Credit: Ronan O'Connell)
Beyond their recreational value, the brawls were also deeply personal, Hurley stressed. Defending honour, with bataireacht or other physical means, was especially important in an era when wealthy Brits controlled swathes of Ireland, leaving its working class downtrodden. "Bataireacht's not about trophies and titles," he noted, "it's about surviving, self-defence and defending those you love."
Not only was the martial art used by Irish people to rebel against the occupying British, but the Brits also helped drive the popularity of shillelagh, bataireacht and faction fighting – notably via their ban on Irish people carrying other weapons. In addition, Hurley explained that the British legal system's mistreatment of Irish people created distrust, resulting in many Irishmen settling disputes outside of the courts and in faction fighting, involving bataireacht. Finally, he said, abuses of power by British landlords occupying Irish territory often prompted faction fights between the Irish men who felt wronged and Irish people loyal to those landlords.
Bataireacht's not about trophies and titles, it's about surviving, self-defence and defending those you love
By the time Irish freedom fighters finally helped regain the country's independence in 1921, bataireacht had all but died out. Hurley explained that the Great Irish Famine of the mid-1800s caused more than one million Irish people to die and another two million to emigrate. "By the 1830s, it seems like bataireacht was something being done more by the poorer people in Irish-speaking communities, and they were the people hardest hit by the famine," he said. "The famine really dealt [bataireacht] a terrible blow."
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The recent rise of bataireacht has greatly benefited traditional shillelagh craftsmen, who handcraft the weapons from blackthorn wood (Credit: Francis McCaffrey)
Sports like bataireacht became a distant priority for starving people. In the decades after that disaster, there was also a concerted effort to eradicate faction fighting. Given this was the main outlet for bataireacht, the martial art didn't make a post-famine recovery, and remained largely in hibernation until the past decade.
Although modern bataireacht largely takes the form of training and friendly sparring, there are also occasional competitions in Ireland and North America, during which competitors score points by landing clean blows with their sticks.
Now Irish stick fighting's popularity is booming thanks to its simplicity and suitability for a wide range of people. Rather than favouring brute strength, or dense technique, it's a fast, uncomplicated martial art that allows for offence or defence from close quarters. Participants hold their shillelagh with one or both hands, using it to hit their opponent on the body or head, to block their foe's strikes or to push them off balance.
"Traditional pugilism (boxing) is the root of our system, so each move is using the body's natural rotation to produce a strike with maximum efficiency," Hurley said.
Shillelagh hits are not long and looping, like some other stick-fighting techniques. Instead, they are mostly short and quick, akin to a boxer's jab, mixed with the occasional, more forceful, and expansive strikes. In addition to hitting or blocking with their shillelagh, bataireacht fighters also punch, kick and grapple. "We get in close, whereas other stick-fighting systems stay further away from the aggressor," Leddy added. "But we can also use the length of our stick to strike from the outer range and maintain a safe distance."
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The Kerry town of Killorglin is one of the original hubs of bataireacht and home to shillelagh craftsman (Credit: Francis McCaffrey)
Despite its origins as a brutal man-on-man sport, bataireacht is no longer a male domain. Many women attend stick-fighting schools, such as New Yorker Patricia Chiovari, who recently graduated from student to teacher. Although she has no Irish ancestry, she felt drawn to stick fighting. "I have always enjoyed learning about Irish culture and history, and I find the deep historical roots of bataireacht fascinating," she said.
I have always enjoyed learning about Irish culture and history, and I find the deep historical roots of bataireacht fascinating
After her husband bought a shillelagh, she looked into bataireacht and began training in early 2021. Late last year, she became an instructor with the Whiskey Stick Faction in Albany, New York, where she conducts two bataireacht classes a week and has three female students.
Chiovari says that Irish stick fighting suits women more than most martial arts because it doesn't emphasise physical power. "Women can be effective at bataireacht by being fast instead of being super strong," she said. "I also really like the fact it's not as well-known of an art as something like karate or taekwondo. It's been lots of fun spreading the word about something new and different."
Once associated with deadly brawls, bataireacht has found a new identity. Yet at the core of its revival is the pride and spirit of Irish people, a resilience that helped them survive more than seven centuries of occupation and subjugation by the British. "This is the martial art of our ancestors," said Leddy, "They all would have done this in some shape or form, and we as Irish people should embrace it and carry the tradition onwards."
