There are few things as revealing of a nation’s soul as the way it arms itself, not merely in the sense of conquest and defence, but in the quiet rituals and peculiar allegiances woven into its martial traditions. A nation’s…...
There isn’t much evidence to support the existence of Robin Hood. Which is sad really. The Americans can claim Fred Bear and Howard Hill, of course. But it is unlikely the gallantry and romance of undermining a greedy and corrupt…...
You think you understand violence. You think you’ve seen it, measured it, weighed it in your hands like something you could master, something that bends to the will of the wielder. You think a weapon is just a tool. But…
I first stumbled upon Irish Celtic mythology when I was a lad of fourteen, a scrawny thing with a wild imagination and a stubborn curiosity for the unknown. It was my older sister who planted the seed, gifting me a…...
Welcome to a new series where I interview autistic archers about our experiences within archery. The goal here is to better inform people of our condition and needs within the sport. Furthermore, there will find plenty for those of us…
The trade was small, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. A childhood barter, some scrap of possession given away for something else, though the details are long since swallowed by the tides of memory. I don’t remember what I…
“The king, his heart resolute, called upon his knights, ‘Where is my son, Charles?’ They replied, ‘Sire, we know not; we believe he fights on.’ Then he declared, ‘Loyal companions, lead me into the fray, that I may strike but…...
Date: 01-01-2025 time 13:00 Place: Hook Lighthouse Co. Wexford The annual arrow ceremony took place on January 1st at Europe’s oldest lighthouse. For umpteen years now, archers from the local Dunbrody club have participated in this age old tradition. This…...
The wind shifted. That peculiar scent of damp earth, wood smoke, and the first stirrings of green rising from winter’s quiet breath. The hedgerows outside my window whispered of coming rain, the kind that soaks slow and steady, not in…...
Now this month we feature an absolute gentleman,… such a kind, thoughtful, considerate and lovely guy all round. he is one of the stalwarts of the great mayo archery club and always has a word of welcome and a smile…...
The story arrived as many others do, cloaked in the smoky haze of memory and the eccentric cadence of a teller who half-believes the story they’re telling. Dim, my father’s driver, was the one who first mentioned Hachiman. I could…...
As I start to write this article it is 1am on Jan 24th 2025 as the much anticipated and dreaded storm Eowyn is raging outside and I am wondering how bad it will be over the next 10 hours .…...
Good day, Nick, and welcome to our new interview series, The Archer’s Mark, which will be published every month in print and online. First off, thanks for taking the time to chat. I have to admit, once I got started…...
IFAF Indoor National championship 2025 Saturday morning, and the gods had decided to be kind. No rain, no howling winds, just an uncharacteristically mild February air settling over Waterford like a held breath. Eight degrees Celsius, but let’s leave Anders…
More quick interviews with archers here in the north and elsewhere. Archers Talkin' Archery is back!
More quick interviews with archers here in the north and elsewhere. Archers Talkin' Archery is back!
A bow is born long before the first curl of wood makes its way to the ground before the rasp makes the first bite into the grain or the sinew begins to hum against the frame that is slowly taking shape.…
“The bow whispers to the archer: trust the wind, trust the arrow, trust yourself.” There’s a certain quiet to the past, a hush that lingers in old things—tools, stories, hands that remember what the world once was. Some things don’t…