BY DECLAN VARLEY
On Saturday and Sunday September 2-3, the beautifully restored Claregalway Castle will be playing host to the biggest medieval tournament since the days it was a chief stronghold of the Clanricarde Burkes in the 15th century.
Over 60 fully armed and armoured fighters, from as far afield as the United States will be converging on the castle to engage in full-contact combat, over two days and across a range of duels and group categories.
Discussing the tournament, Medieval Armoured Combat Ireland Spokesperson, Brendan Halpin said they have been holding this tournament, in one of the finest castles in the country, since 2015, and with every year it grows in both size and the quality of the competitors.
“This will be our first tournament open to the public since Covid, and we couldn’t be more excited to have a crowd cheering us on again.
“The combat is real, it’s not choreographed or simulated, we really are hitting each other full force with steel swords and axes, but it is a lot safer than you might expect, the armour works incredibly well and your risk of serious injury is probably lower than if you were playing rugby or even soccer,” he said.
The Tournament will involve both 1-on-1 fights and group fights. The 1-on-1 duels work a bit like boxing; you get a point for a clean hit with the weapon, for a disarm or knocking your opponent down — whoever gets the most points wins the round and the first fighter to win two rounds wins the fight.
The group fights are a bit different, with five fighters on each side, the last team standing wins. If anything other than your feet touch the ground, you are out for the round.
How you get your opponents down is up to you; you can kick, punch, throw, trip, or just beat them with a two-handed axe until the give up. It looks quite brutal but there are a lot of tactics to it, such as making sure to position your fighters right, taking advantage of the space and any advantage you can find.
Although still very much a niche sport, Full Contact Medieval Combat has grown quite dramatically in Ireland in the last few years, going from just a few fighters in the whole country, to now having multiple local clubs, such as the Knights of Munster and local Galway team 1316, while the skill and expertise at a national level improves constantly.
In addition to the fighting which will be going on all day, there will be food, crafts and other entertainment, especially on Sunday when the Castle’s usual Autumn gardening and craft fair will be running.
For more information, email Armoured [email protected], or [email protected]
