Bataireacht is a term used to describe the various stickfighting martial arts of Ireland. The term is found in most large format Irish language dictionaries - such as those published by An Gum and by Dineen. Researcher and author John W. Hurley attributes the reintroduction of the term into modern usage among English speaking practitioners of Irish stick-fighting to his works, as these are where the term first appeared in modern popular culture before being popularized.
"Bata" is a general term which can mean any kind of stick. The actual bata or stick used for bataireacht is often referred to as a Sail-Éille or phonetically in English as "shillelagh". The word "cudgel" is also used in period texts as a word for shillelagh. Traditionally, blackthorn, oak, ash and hazel were the most common types of woods used to make shillelagh fighting sticks. In the 19th century bataireacht became associated with Irish gang or "faction" fighting. Some evidence exists which indicates that, prior to the 19th Century, the term had been used to refer to a form of stick-fencing used to train Irish soldiers in broadsword and sabre techniques.Monday 26 April 2010
Bataireacht
Bataireacht is the term used in Irish martial arts traditionally applied to various forms of Irishstick fighting. Today the word bataireacht is being used among both Irish and English language speakers to distinguish between traditional and non-traditional stick-fighting styles.
shillelagh
A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob at the top, that is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.
Shillelaghs are traditionally made from blackthorn wood or oak. The wood would be smeared with butter and placed up a chimney to cure, giving the Shillelagh its typical black shiny appearance. Shillelaghs may be hollowed at the heavy "hitting" end and filled with molten lead to increase the weight beyond the typical two pounds; this sort of Shillelagh is known as a loaded stick. They are commonly the length of a walking stick (distance from the floor to one's wrist with elbow slightly bent). Most also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking as well as parrying and disarming an opponent. Many shillelaghs also have a strap attached (hence the Irish name), similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist.
Shillelaghs are traditionally made from blackthorn wood or oak. The wood would be smeared with butter and placed up a chimney to cure, giving the Shillelagh its typical black shiny appearance. Shillelaghs may be hollowed at the heavy "hitting" end and filled with molten lead to increase the weight beyond the typical two pounds; this sort of Shillelagh is known as a loaded stick. They are commonly the length of a walking stick (distance from the floor to one's wrist with elbow slightly bent). Most also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking as well as parrying and disarming an opponent. Many shillelaghs also have a strap attached (hence the Irish name), similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist.
Sunday 25 April 2010
Saturday 24 April 2010
Axis Deer banging antlers together
Axis Deer banging antlers together
Knowsley Safari Park, North West England in April 2010.
Knowsley Safari Park, North West England in April 2010.
Thursday 22 April 2010
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Monday 19 April 2010
Birmingham Bachelor Pads
This is a blog on Birmingham City. It also looks at survival skills.
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Sunday 18 April 2010
Knowsley
Knowsley is a large village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is more commonly known as Knowsley Village.
Knowsley Safari Park is a tourist attraction in the borough of Knowsley on the outskirts of Liverpool, England. The park was also home to a former RAF airfield which closed at the end of World War II.
mute swan pictures
Knowsley Safari Park is a tourist attraction in the borough of Knowsley on the outskirts of Liverpool, England. The park was also home to a former RAF airfield which closed at the end of World War II.
mute swan pictures
African lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.
Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans selectively, some have been known to seek human prey.
Friday 16 April 2010
lion
The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.
The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside of designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Lions have been kept in menageries since Roman times and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoos the world over since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies.
The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside of designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Lions have been kept in menageries since Roman times and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoos the world over since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies.
The Art and Science of Mook Jong Series
The Art and Science of Mook Jong Series http://birminghambachelorpads.blogspot.com/
Ethiopian Suri Stick Fighting - Last Man Standing Part 6
Ethiopian Suri Stick Fighting - Last Man Standing Part 6
Friday 9 April 2010
River Tame
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e the Tame and its main tributaries, is about 285 km.
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Icknield Street
Icknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in Britain that runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire. It passes through Alcester, Studley, Redditch, Metchley Fort, Birmingham, Lichfield and Derby.
It acquired the name Icknield Way during the 12th century, but it is now called Icknield Street (or Ryknild Street) to distinguish it from the older Icknield Way, an Iron Age trackway running from Norfolk to Dorset.
A preserved section of the Roman road can be seen at Sutton Park in Birmingham. The Perry Bridge of 1711 stands at its crossing of the River Tame in Perry Barr.
Sutton Park
Sutton Park, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and the largest outside a capital city; it is larger than Richmond Park in London.
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Mere Green
Mere Green is an area of Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It is a small commercial centre on the edge of Sutton Park. The area features a shopping area, which has a range of independent shops, along with national chain stores.
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Four Oaks
Four Oaks is a principally residential area in northern Sutton Coldfield, England. It is a suburban area adjacent to Sutton Park, approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of Birmingham City Centre. It is bordered by Streetly, Mere Green, Little Aston and Roughley.
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Hill Hook
Hill Hook is an area of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. The area includes Hill Hook Local Nature Reserve on the site of a watermill, which originated in the 17th century. An earlier dam showed the extent of the original mill pool, which was enlarged in 1767. The nature reserve, known locally as 'The Meddies' was substantially built upon from the early 1980s onwards, although small parts remain untouched.
It is close to Four Oaks and Little Aston and is approximately one mile from Sutton Park. The area is served by Blake Street railway station, and is served by bus routes 112 (Arriva Midlands) and 902 (National Express West Midlands).
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Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield , Eng
Boldmere is a residential area of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It is bordered by New Oscott, Sutton Park, Wylde Green and Erdington, and is in the ward of Sutton Vesey.
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Little Aston
Little Aston is an affluent area of the district of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. The area is locally known as an enclave of footballers and successful businessmen.
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West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen and Sutton Coldfield in the English West Midlands.
Not to be confused with the region or metropolitan county of the same name, the conurbation does not include parts of the county such as Coventry, but does include parts of the surrounding counties of Staffordshire (e.g. Little Aston, Perton), Warwickshire (specifically Coleshill and Water Orton) and Worcestershire (Hagley, Hollywood).
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in, and administrative centre of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.
Historically part of Warwickshire, Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians. The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in the Country).
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Historically part of Warwickshire, Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians. The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in the Country).
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Friday 2 April 2010
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield railway station is the main railway station for the town of Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. It is situated on the Redditch-Birmingham New Street-Lichfield Cross-City Line 12 km (7½ miles) north east of Birmingham New Street.
The station is of Victorian architecture with red brick and elaborate ceilings and pillars. One platform is sheltered while the other is open air. The main building itself is built on a hill with a tunnel running underneath it. It is accessed via Station Street.
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a town in the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton (as it is often abbreviated to) is located about 8 miles (13 km) from central Birmingham, in the northeast of the city. It forms part of the West Midlands conurbation.
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east, North Warwickshire to the east and north east; also Shard End to the south west, Castle Vale and Minworth to the north and Hodge Hill to the west - all areas of the City of Birmingham.
Second City of Empire
The identity of the second city of the United Kingdom is a subject of some disagreement. A country's second city is the city that is thought to be the second most important, usually after the capital or first city (London, in this case), according to criteria such as population size, economic and commercial importance, political importance or some cultural criteria. There is no official mechanism by which second city status is conferred on a city, and citizens and civic leaders of rival cities often argue over their conflicting claims.
Birmingham has generally been regarded as the second city of the United Kingdom since around the time of World War I, though some polls and media references have quoted Manchester as the second city (and also as the third city). Other cities in both England and Scotland have at times been considered the second city. For example, Glasgow, in Scotland, was in the past called The Second City of the Empire. During the 19th and early 20th century, the whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. During some of this time Dublin was considered to be the second city.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is an industrial city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. It has long been associated with heavy industry such as steel and vehicle manufacturing, and this is reflected in the city's strong connection with its working-class culture. Wolverhampton is located in the heart of what's known as the Black Country. This region was the centre of Britain's heavy industries, so termed 'Black Country' because of the excessive air pollution and coal grit eminating from the ubiquitous steel mills and iron foundries.
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen and Sutton Coldfield in the English West Midlands.
Not to be confused with the region or metropolitan county of the same name, the conurbation does not include parts of the county such as Coventry, but does include parts of the surrounding counties of Staffordshire (e.g. Little Aston, Perton), Warwickshire (specifically Coleshill and Water Orton) and Worcestershire (Hagley, Hollywood).
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles (14.5 km) southeast of Birmingham city centre. It is the largest town in, and administrative centre of, the larger Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.
Historically part of Warwickshire, Solihull is one of the most prosperous towns in the English Midlands. Residents of Solihull and those born in the town are referred to as Silhillians. The motto of Solihull is Urbs in Rure (Town in the Country).
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area (behind Lake Superior and Lake Huron), it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word "Michigan" was originally used to refer to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning great water. The lake is slightly smaller than the US state of West Virginia.
West Midlands
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The county consists of seven metropolitan boroughs: the City of Birmingham, the City of Coventry and the City of Wolverhampton, plus Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall.
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Birmingham
Birmingham was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England, a fact which led to it being known as "the workshop of the world" or the city of a thousand trades. Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre, being named as the second-best place in the United Kingdom to locate a business. Birmingham is a national hub for conferences, retail and events along with an established high tech, research and development sector, supported by its three Universities. It is also the fourth-most visited city by foreign visitors in the UK, has the second largest city economy in the UK, and is often referred to as the Second City.
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