Galloglass, European Man at Arms and Border Reiver

[Swifty]

Impressions of mid 16thC Irish Galloglass (yours truly), Latter 15thC/Early 16thC European Man at Arms (Brendan) & Late 16thC Anglo-Scots Border Reiver (Kane) from the MHS Kilkenny Castle National Heritage Week Launch 2009...
Galloglass






European Man-at-Arms








‘Light Stave’/Border Reiver

[finnobreanan]

Once again Swifty, you guys kick authenticity ass! I like the new Gallowglass impression. I'm jealous!

[finnobreanan]

Swfty! Where did you get that axe! It looks like the document specimens from the articles Looney sent me. I want one!

PS: Did I help purchase that beautiful helm you have when I bought your old one?

Finn

[Swifty]

Yeah Finn - the axe is a copy of the decorated Clonteevy axe-head recorded in Cormac Burke's article 'Antiquities from the River Blackwater III' in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology. The guy (Alastair) who made it is a fella who does custom metal-work for re-enactors as well as other types of decorative metal-working. The business is Madregal Designs who can be found here: http://www.madregaldesigns.com/start.htm. Alastair recognised from the UJA illustration that the original maker of the axe had broken his chisel a couple of times in the process - as did Alastair half a millenium afterwards with my reproduction! The axe is also interesting in that it conforms to Stanihurst's (late 16thC) contemporary description of galloglass axe's having a 12" cutting edge which is almost to the milimetre exactly the case with the Clonteevy axe. The same dimensions also apply - with only very slight variations in profile - in the cases of the undecorated Annaghbeg and Derryloughan axe-heads which were found nearby and are also recorded in the same article.

Madregal did the helmet too btw, and I've had a custom comb-morion done by them also. As for funding of the helmet - well I bought the two of them around the same time - about five years ago. And the funding was raised by doing public gigs - galloglass-fashion!! The sale of the bascinet was a consious decision to stop spreading myself too thin by knocking 15thC (or for that matter 14thC) living history on the head so-to-speak and to concentrate more on the 16thC. Btw I still think that the bascinet is good for earlier 16thC actions such as Knockdoe but with later 16thC battles like Farsetmore and Monasteranenagh interesting me more and more the acquirement of an early combless burgonet seemed the correct decision. I also needed more space at home!!

Hope you are keeping well

Swifty

[Fionnuala]

*sigh* ... gotta love a man in uniform. lol.

Seriously, though... Great pictures of great garb!! Very well done.

~ fionnuala

[Swifty]

*sigh* ... gotta love a man in uniform. lol.

Seriously, though... Great pictures of great garb!! Very well done.

~ fionnuala

Thanking you! Flattery will get you everywhere!!! : )

[consmiles]

Hi guys, great kit well displayed, well done to all.

[timothy]

Amazing stuff! Your pics inspired me to get a combless Burgonet made by White Rose Armoury earlier this year. I hope to add my own pics soon. And I hope my kit can rise to the bar set by work like this!

Thank you again for sharing,

TIM