' This is the first real tourist season for us. If they are not treated properly they will dry out and crack,' he explains.Īt the Olde Shillelagh Stick Makers, an intriguing array of sticks adorn the walls of the newly decorated shop which is often a favourite for tourists. 'It is time-consuming but it is important to produce an authentic stick and we now have to consider the centrally heated homes they are going into. So as not to give away his own secret techniques for producing the perfect stick, he simply says that blackthorn is the only appropriate type of wood for its lightweight yet sturdy and hard-wearing qualities. From the time the blackthorn is cut, it takes three years to complete and there are numerous stages,' says Liam. It cannot be farmed so at some point it will no longer be available but the local farmers are very good and I have an agreement with them. 'I source the blackthorn locally for authenticity purposes.
Made from wild-growing blackthorn, each individual item takes three years to craft from the cutting stage. The word stick barely does these crafts justice, as they are expertly arranged in his Shillelagh shop and showroom. Just as his father went from stick-making to electronics, Liam's path went the opposite way, and from a background in Electronic Engineering and his own shop he changed career- path towards producing Shillelagh sticks.
He trained as a mechanic, built a garage and later got into radio and television,' explains Liam. He loved technology and generally moved towards working with steam. He also won a trip to The Great Exhibition in London. One of the units made wooden toys and because he had much of the skills needed he got work. He passed on the skills to my own father who started to work in the industrial units which were formerly the poorhouse when he was about 14. He has a small holding at Ballynultagh just outside the village.
He also started making sticks when they became popular amongst the gentry. ' My great- great- grandfather was a general toolmaker and made pikes similar to those used in 1798. The skill has been in Liam's family since the time of his great-grandfather Denis, who in turn passed it down to Liam's father, also Denis. Situated on Main Street is the Old Shillelagh Stick Makers, run by local man Liam Kealy, or O Caidhla as he is known in the craft world. EVERYBODY KNOWS some variation of the old song ' With my Shillelagh under my arm…' but it might come as a surprise that authentic Shillelagh sticks are still being carefully handcrafted in the small South Wicklow village to this day.
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