Gaelic Archery

[Celtchar]

Could someone please post details about Gaelic archery? What sort of bow(s), quivers and so on did they use? And where could I purchase such items for reenactment?

[nathan]

what period are you interested in? the bows used in Ireland were pretty similar to those used in England after the viking invasion prior they were mainly a hunting weapon they were then mainly longbow style bows of which the vast majority were yew bows although there were some other woods used they were pretty uncommon. if your looking to get a yew bow it will cost a small fortune but again if you can supply me with more info as to what your actually looking for i might be able to help better.

[Celtchar]

I am generally interested in the entire medieval era; I don't think there was a pure Gaelic form of archery but nonetheless I'd like to know what sort of bow to use and what they used to contain arrows.

[nathan]

well the entire medieval period was dominated in Ireland bow wise by the longbow style of bow there were some other slightly different styles but yes they were the primary type though their use was never used to such success as the Normans or British.
im not 100% sure on what they used to carry arrows in there are no finds i know of and most illustrations of the period dont show quivers or arrow bags mainly they show arrows slung through the belt although i think a generic tubular style of hip quiver would do you fine.
hope this helps any other questions i would be glad to help.

[Celtchar]

Thank you!

[the_power]

http://shop.museum.ie/p-80-weapons-and- ... ublin.aspx has pretty much everything you need to know about archery from the archeological record - dozesn of bows, and hundreds of every type of arrow you can think of. Even a viking crossbow, with an antler nut. Some nice conclusions about the change from unarmoured to armoured targets, based on how arrowheads changed in shape and type.

John

[Celtchar]

Thankew. Where Bows more common among average medieval Gaels than swords?

[nathan]

although many bows were found there is still a lack of finds of bows. mainly due to the disintegration of the wood itself. i think its safe to say spears were more common but im not really an expert on sword finds. bows were not a very common battlefield weapon until the normans the vikings used them on the battle field but only a few archers working as snipers so to speak the normans learned to use archers en masse.

[Neil]

Before the arrival of the vikings the "average" gael would have been equipped with spears and javelins. After the arrival of the Vikings we see the use of the axe in warfare. Swords were more of a high status weapon so not that common

[nathan]

also pre viking invasion the bow was viewed as a hunting tool and seems to be very uncommon on the battlefield.