Autumn at Greenmount
Matt Latimer's write up on Ballyvally's Autumn Shoot held in the gloriously serene Greenmount venue.
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A wealth of high-quality articles exploring Irish archery in all its richness—history, philosophy, ethics, technical insights, interviews, and rare profiles of exceptional figures. Featuring top writers, youth contributions, and cultural commentary, this is an open invitation to engage deeply with the spirit, stories, and subtleties of archery in Ireland—freely accessible to all who wish to read, reflect, and be part of the living tradition.
Penrose’s Tatzelwurm
An Evander Penrose short story.
Apollo’s Bow: Plague, Music, Distance, and Divine Cruelty
Pirro Ligorio, Diana and Apollo Slaughtering the Children of Niobe, c. 1550. Red chalk, squared with black chalk and indented for transfer, on two joined sheets of laid paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Jeffrey E. Horvitz, 2008.117.3.…
On Safari with Ballyvally Archers
My favourite competition of the year! The Mulligan Hunting Trails! Knee deep in ferns and thorns, the perils of inattentiveness, and missing a target isn’t the same as missing a target. This year we were up against the best competition…
The Accidental King – A Staged Hunt for the French Throne? (987)
Chasse au cerf Bibliothèque nationale de France What, precisely, died near Senlis in May 987: Louis V through a hunting fall, or Carolingian kingship through a killing arranged to clear Hugh Capet’s road to the crown? Beneath that question I…
Wrath
Ovrythe was found in the south-west of The Mane. For most of its history, Ovrythe loamed like a storm cloud over its neighbours, striking with thunder and lightning when it suited: a new government that wasn’t going to do Ovrythe…
Bowhunter – Chapter 8
The Mane, The Unclaimed Waters between Fohalin and Nauberta – Typhon Resurgence, Day 20 The Daemon Flamingo was a ship of legend, recognisable to even those most ignorant of myths. Even those ignorant of the ship’s legend – and few…
Bowhunter – Chapter 7
The Mane, Huzken (The Venom State), City Capital Lajo – Typhon Resurgence, Day 19 Havicore Hall was the grandiose meeting place for the hunters and agriculturalists of the eastern regions of the Mane. It was named for the great explorer,…
Alfred Lord Tennyson — The Lady of Shalott (arrow knightly projectile field in medievalised reception)
Read the full poem What quality of iron flight tears the woven air of Camelot to strike the lonely room of Shalott? Blood blossoms on a bowman’s thumb long before the fletching leaves the string, due to the immense draw…
Bowhunter – Chapter 6
The Mane, The Unclaimed Waters between Fohalin and Nauberta – Typhon Resurgence, Day 17 “I’ve never seen anything that size in the ocean that wasn’t a land mass,” Rena breathed shakily, eyes wide, brow furrowed at the sight of the…
Bluebell 2026
Of all the many fine things regarding the Bluebell Shoot, the finest was that the format had been reset from the common mixed affair back to the unmarked and marked rounds. Why there are so many mixed rounds, I don’t…
La Draga: Yew, Lake-Mud, and the Neolithic Bowyer’s Hand
What does a 108-centimetre yew bow lifted from Lake Banyoles mud¹ ask us to learn about archery before kings, heraldry, tournaments, or written war? A yew stave, darkened by lake-mud, carries a question heavier than any painted coat of arms.…
Hot tips and handy hints (APRIL 2026)
Mastering the “Parasite”: The Art of Action Meditation You’re on the shooting line. Your heart is hammering against your chest, and your bow arm is vibrating so hard the arrow is nearly jumping off the rest. You aren’t in any…
Archery Challenges – Week 1
Welcome to a new season of archery challenges! At Lough Cuan Bowmen, archers are engaging in a series of unconventional shooting challenges for prizes of myth. Each week – more or less – archers can endeavour to win an arrow…
Bowhunter – Chapter 5
The Mane, The Unclaimed Waters between Fohalin and Nauberta – Typhon Resurgence, Day 17 Of all the myths within the great ocean between The Mane and The Sigel, tales of the Daemon Flamingo refused to age or even convolute themselves…
Portlaoise & County Laois: A Week Beyond the Target Field
Well, dear archers, I thought I might prepare this little travel guide for you and your May visit to our great town of Portlaoise. Portlaoise carries its past with quiet assurance. The town began in the mid-sixteenth century as a…
A Lego Guide to 3D Archery
For those Unfamiliar with 3D Archery, or those who just like a bit of Lego:
Shamrock 2026
How did the shamrock come about as an Irish symbol? The fact that Ballyvally Archers’ Shamrock Shoot comes in March is rather apt, as it was Saint Patrick who taught of the Holy Trinity using a shamrock. And whilst this…
Feather Splicing – A Simple Guide
For some, arrows are simply a tool, perhaps even overlooked. Something for throwing at the target and nothing more. Why would anyone labour over an arrow’s aesthetics? Well, when I began as a traditional archer, a seasoned trad shooter and…
The Wound That Knows: Teresa’s Flaming Shaft and the Theology of the Body
What does Teresa’s transverberation reveal about embodied theology? I read chapter 29 of the Vida as an account of knowledge entering the creature through injury, motion, heat, cry, and aftermath. The famous angel with the flaming shaft does not ornament…