Zombie Huntin’ League

Whilst it is close to Halloween, I would remind the reader, and archer, that zombies, the undead, however you refer to them, are not a seasonal problem. Just as much as a dog is just not for Christmas, a zombie…
Whilst it is close to Halloween, I would remind the reader, and archer, that zombies, the undead, however you refer to them, are not a seasonal problem. Just as much as a dog is just not for Christmas, a zombie…
I came up with the idea to write this article after reading a message on the club’s chat—one of the fellow archers was curious about horse bows and asked for advice. I liked the brief exchange between him and one…
Knowledge gathers in the hands first. Before theory spreads its mesh, the body enters an agreement with wood, string, air, and ground. A seasoned yew settles into the palm with a weight that carries memory; cool grain moves under the…
In This Month’s TIFAM: Gold Medals, Political Philosophy Through the archer’s scope, and a Trip Through the Woods The September 2025 collector’s edition of TIFAM is here, packed with tournament triumphs, deep dives into history and philosophy, and stories from…
Once a year, Ballyvally Archers hosts a singular type of competition that exemplifies the enjoyment found in the sport: the Mulligan Hunting Trail. Whilst hunting Frank Mulligan is not the aim of the competition – and just as well as,…
For many of the past eleven years, I have been making my own arrows. This skill has developed little by little over time, as I read various articles, and listened to what other traditional archers had to say. Whilst it…
A field course in Ireland carries its own weather with a pulse that travels through boots and bone. Moss feeds stone, wet fern lifts the air, and the path to each peg breathes peat and birdsong. The target waits amid alder and furze like a small moon, pale and sure, and the bow answers with old memory held in the limbs. Every lane whispers a fresh set of laws. Curiosity greets those laws and draws a richer circle with every arrow. A course turns into an instrument, and the archer learns to play it by ear, tuning the shot to the forest’s metre. You hear the stream keep time. You feel the breeze pluck the string. You see light change distance. The ground shapes stance and stance shapes thought, and the whole enterprise gathers a music that rewards patience, craft, and that stubborn Irish delight in hard work done with a grin.
Slope begins the learning. Uphill invites a ribcage that rises and a pelvis that settles so the spine grows long and the shoulders level. Downhill invites knees that soften and heels that claim the earth so the line from back heel to drawing elbow stays true. Hips and shoulders form a steady gate for power to pass through, and that gate grants the draw a clean corridor. Feet choose ground with care: a forefoot that finds purchase on wet root, a mid-foot that rests on shale, a heel that holds on clay. A quiet triangle forms between both feet and the aim, a geometry that steadies breath. Ireland’s banks and ridges reward ankles that sing through the arches. An archer who trusts that song carries balance uphill and down, across boggy patches and shale scars, with the bow sitting easy and the head afloat, alert and glad.
Light writes grammar across distance. Shade compresses space inside a green tunnel; pale foam gathers a halo that stretches the path to the rings; dapple scatters attention like coins. The eye reads edges with greatest ease when a soft glow gathers around a hard line, so a tiny ritual helps. Blink once, glance beyond the lane to a patch of untroubled colour, return to the centre, breathe, and allow the sight ring—or the inner circle of intent—to frame the mark. Vision gathers to a needlepoint again. Field lanes often deliver a trick of magnification when the trees pinch perspective; a deliberate breath resets scale. Recurve and barebow minds favour the memory of a circle; compound minds favour pin, peep, and bubble in gentle accord. Each approach earns clarity through that small ceremony of attention, carried peg to peg like a blessing.
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Archer Margaret Donnelly gives us a sporting insight into the life of her Dunbrody club mate and WBHC 2025 Bronze medallist Catherine Power From: The Rower Co. Kilkenny Club: Dunbrody Archers Shooting style: Bowhunter Recurve World Bowhunter Championships 2025 South…
I was excited to be back at Ballywalter for a couple of reasons, one of which was because of the new species of pheasant introduced to the estate. This species is known as Reeve’s Pheasant and comes from China. And…
It is now summer, which in Ireland means the weather likes to behave in more of a bipolar manner. Summer in Ireland is different from the other two seasons – I’m convinced we don’t really get Spring, just a mildish…
This is an updated version of an article I published a few years ago, about how badly the Olympics and World Archery need to diversify the representation of shooting styles. Given the inclusion of compound, I felt it was appropriate to not only republish it but update it too.
As the fictious, famed Chaos Theorist and open shirt enthusiast, Dr Ian Malcom, once said, “Hang on, this is going to be bad.” 3D Archery is not like Field Archery, and very far removed from Target Archery. Each of the…
Hello Crackers, are you well? The year seems to be flying along briskly, leaving me more unorganised than usual, but here I am, straining the brain to write some words down to entertain. Easter is fast approaching also, so first…...
Hello John, welcome to this interview process and I am thankful to you for doing this as these interviews are becoming more and more popular for our readers.You always look cool with bow in hand, the shades if its sunny,…...
Hello, Crackers and Archery enthusiasts! I hope you are well. So, did any of you get to the Setu Arena for the recent IFAF National Indoor Championships..?I was there, and I must say that it was awesome and a great…...
More quick interviews with archers here in the north and elsewhere. Archers Talkin' Archery is back!
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 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…...