Click here for proper martial arts techniques with this shillelagh. Click here for historical pictures of the stick in Irish artwork.
Blackthorn is looked upon by some as the best wood for the shaft of a cane.
If anyone to offer any fine cane maker a choice of shafts the most popular choice would always be this wood. It is a very hard, close-grained wood and if growing from the trunk of the tree or bush, is covered with very sharp, vicious spines. The most notable features of blackthorn wood are the deep reddish-black bark and the numerous knots, which are best when perfected by an excellent cane maker. An experienced cane maker will pick the perfect piece of blackthorn and perfect it into a perfect symmetrical shaft for a cane. This is a very time consuming process because of the meticulous job of rounding the knots into a shaft.