Gone to the sticks

With a Shillelagh under me arm

The walking stick has been around for thousands of years since the time of the Pharaohs. When the grave of Tutankhamun was opened in 1922 it contained his chariots, gold and 130 walking sticks. Though some of these were used in religious and ceremonial occasions it has been speculated that he needed them because of mobility issues.

Napoleon Bonaparte was another great man for the walking sticks. He is reputed to have had a cane with a hidden telescope, a snuffbox and a flask of brandy. He liked his cognac. The stick was also a symbol of power and rank in France.

The British leader Winston Churchil used a walking stick after he suffered a stroke in 1953 to give him support. Later it became part of his public image.

In Ireland walking sticks have a rich history and folklore. They are part of our culture associated with the fighting Irish and the big tough Irishman image. How often have we heard of a Shillelagh fight. They were an integral part of our history particularly during the period when we were forbidden to carry arms. The Shillelagh was used in stick fights, or bataireacht in Irish, and many a poor skull was cracked in Shillelagh fights. The gnarled rough looking Shillelagh stick was finished off with linseed oil and black paint to give it the traditional Irish dark polished look. Shillelagh,sail éille in Irish or thonged willow stick in Eenglish is named after the place name Shillelagh because of the huge oak and blackthorn forests in the area from which the sticks were made.

In today’s world a lot of walking sticks are made of light metal and  are  a great aid for older people to assist them keep their balance while walking. For many elderly individuals I meet while walking in the woods, it is not just a decorative appendage. They have their dog and walking stick. The dog gives great emotional support which encourages them to do their daily constitutional. The stick is a companion that gives them support, independence and stability and gives them a confidence to do their daily walk.

Some of the elders among us will remember Bing Crosby singing “With a Shillelagh under me arm and a twinkle in me eye I’m off to Tipperary in the morning. This was an American folksy vision of Ireland. Irish tourist authorities worked hard to promote a more modern vision of Ireland. It was John A Costelloe who in 1963 said that “we were afflicted with the miserable trivialities of our tourist advertising. Sometimes it descended to the lowest depths, to the caubeen and shillelagh, not to speak of the leprechaun.”

I remember all my elderly relations having blackthorn walking sticks carved by themselves with their pen knives, from sticks they had chosen and cut down personally. Many is the time I was told to sit down and be quiet or I would get a clip from the dreaded shillelagh.

Another very popular stick was what we called the antlers head stick. Every deer hunter in Ireland had to have one of these.A few of my friends had them and I was often bored listening to their shooting exploits about when they shot the deer and used the antlers for stick tops. We were more impressed when we were given a good chunk of delectable venison to roast.

These sticks were also a great status symbol for the gentry and hunting class who proudly strutted around with the stick while wearing their best tweed jacket and plus four trousers. There was great rural pride and status involved in being the bearer of such a trophy stick.

When I retired from teaching, I was presented with a few nice walking sticks including a lightweight modern hiking pole which I took as being a hint to go and do some walking. The one I liked best had a compass inset on top of the stick making sure I aways had a direction finder to make my way home. I haven’t used them yet.

One of the most popular sticks is the Shepherds Crook, traditionally made from hazel. It is a tall slender stick with a hook-on top to assist in walking mountainous territory, in shepherding sheep and like all sticks can be used for personal protection.

This Shepherds Crook stick is used in many religious ceremonial occasions such as the inauguration of a bishop. It is the symbol of power for popes and bishops with their crook and their staff. These staffs are ornately decorated with copper and brass.

 When I was talking to my sister-in-law one morning recently about her recent knee replacement operation, she took her walking stick out of the boot of her car. She was using it for support while she was getting back to independent walking. I just loved the ornate brass top on the stick. She unscrewed it and asked me to hold it. Next, she took out a little flask about 4 inches deep and inside was a lovely measure of Irish whiskey. This was a very special drop of pure Irish uisce beatha.

She told me that it was called a gentleman’s stick or tippling cane. I just loved it.

The stick itself, she told me had a history of being used by wealthy farmers and the gentry. In the early days they were filled with poitín and many a storyteller would sit down to tell a yarn in a house of stories leaning on his tipple stick and having a drink. His tipple stick would be topped up during a night of storytelling.

I have often heard of deoch an dorais but this deoch a bhata caps ‘em all.  Sláinte to all my rambler followers.