![old shillelagh old shillelagh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dbb1dbbe656d16d7d0f6d77/1572910479805-72TFYCSVGH349337V22Y/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJYB5FHv83P5z5Eq1nb16jxZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PIIxye4GGfkTGlgwPvXUNwYE-gYvlAIvJC-rKjXe8ObLQKMshLAGzx4R3EDFOm1kBS/The+Old+Shillelagh.jpg)
In fact¸ even among blackthorn canes¸ there are certain details that identify a genuine Irish shillelagh. It also makes the best quality shillelagh.
![old shillelagh old shillelagh](https://ia803205.us.archive.org/17/items/78_its-the-same-old-shillelagh_horace-heidt-and-his-musical-knights-red-farrington-p_gbia0213348b/78_its-the-same-old-shillelagh_horace-heidt-and-his-musical-knights-red-farrington-p_gbia0213348b_itemimage.jpg)
While you may find a shillelagh for sale designed from ash¸ oak or holly¸ blackthorn wood is a traditional Irish choice. Specially designed¸ it has a rich Irish history that makes it unlike any other walking stick. That’s because there’s nothing ordinary about a shillelagh. Irish Blackthorn Walking Sticks & ShillelaghsĪn ordinary walking stick is often called by many names¸ but not one of those names is shillelagh. All thorns and spurs that have been completely removed should leave behind a fine dimple in the wood.If made by a craftsman familiar with the creation of shillelaghs¸ the cane should come to a fine taper.Knobs or protrusions left from the thorns should be spaced evenly around the shaft of the cane.Hawthorne looks very similar¸ but lacks the uniformity of blackthorn¸ and will usually have many irregularities in the wood grain.Here are four tips to check and be sure that any shillelagh is of high quality: We guarantee our shillelaghs to be genuine Irish blackthorn canes¸ but many other retailers sell imitations¸ crafted from hawthorne or other thorny bushes and trees.
![old shillelagh old shillelagh](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7N9AC__6ms/Xm41kcJ_O6I/AAAAAAAAgpw/aZIIzh4Tgv0cPlyo4dSerXWiKeLGRCDXwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The_Old_Shillelagh_2.jpg)
These thorns are removed in the process of finishing and sanding a walking cane shaft¸ but the dark wood and numerous knots and protrusions are left behind as a signature of the plant from which it came. It is a very hard¸ close-grained wood¸ and if harvested from the trunk of the blackthorn tree¸ any sample should be covered in sharp¸ vicious spines. The same old shillelagh he brought from ireland.Also known as European Spiny Plum (Prunus spinosa)¸ this hardwood plant offers all of the qualities a cane-maker wants in his materials. Sure with the same old shillelagh Me father could lick a dozen men As fast as they'd get up be gorry, He'd knock'em down again And many's the time he used it on me To make me understand The same old shillelagh Me father brought from ireland. He'd lead the band on paddy's day And twirle it round his mitt And divil a bit we'd laught at it Or dad would have a fit. And divil a man prouder than he, As he walked with it in his hand. Sure it's the same old shillelagh Me father brought from ireland. If there's afight I'll be alright, nobody bothers me, Because I have the old shillelagh me father gave to me. I'm going on the police force, it's the only thing to do, Instead of having one night stick,begorra I'll have two. Oh 50 years ago me father left old erins shore, He landed here a shillelagh in hand and divil a little more He got a job, then got a wife, then a family, And then he died and left his old shillelagh stick to me.