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…
Tag Traditional Archery
Choosing Your First Bow Guide
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…
Bowhunters in the North
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,…
Artistry In Arrows
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…
TIFAM issue 45 PDF
TIFAM 45 by TIFAM Company Limited by Guarantee...
Andrew’s 20 Questions #31 Emlyn Phipps
Hey there Emlyn and thanks for agreeing to do this interview and I have to say with great enthusiasm, as you’ve been the quickest to respond which is great and I know we have a lot in common and so…...
Colum Cille 3D 2025
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…
Bluebell Shoot 2025
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…
The Case for Greater Archery
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.
Archers Of Ennis (Onwards and upwards)
Introduction – who we are… We are a dedicated community built on shared passion, friendly competition, and a genuine love for the art of archery – Archers of Ennis isn’t just a place to hone our skills. It’s become the…
No Comfort Zone For Next 24 Targets
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…
Page turner picks (Column)
Making Wooden Arrows – A Master’s Guide By John Potter 2020 Edition/90 pages I believe the making of wooden arrows, and their pairing to the archer and the bow as one of the truest skills in archery. And sadly, one…
How Archers go blind…
They go blind, not suddenly, not dramatically, but like stone crumbling beneath ivy. A slow erosion hidden under the costume of stillness. Archers — who speak so often of form and silence, of the sacred breath before release — rarely…...
Blackbird Column
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…...
Forever Drawn:A Day with the White Feather
There’s a kind of hush in the troughlands of Fiorbhia Farm when the dew clings still to the grass, before the sun decides if it’ll bake or bless the day. And there I stood, half a ghost, half a child…...
The Limits of Precision: How Much Tuning Does an Archer Really Need?
Precision has long been the archer’s silent companion, lingering in the spaces between breath and release. The draw is steady, the fingers poised on the string, the arrow ready to carve its path through the air. And yet, as much…...
Ishi The Last of The Yashi…
It’s a strange thing, to draw a bow and feel the pull of something older than time itself—a quiet understanding between hand, string, and arrow. I think about that often, about how archery is less about hitting a target than…
The Archer’s Guide to the Unspoken Essentials
The wind came from the west, carrying with it the ghost of winter—damp, cold, full of the smell of leaf rot and something older, something that lingers in the hedgerows before the blackthorn blooms. I stood at the edge of…...
Andrew’s 20 Questions #27 John Playdon
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,…...
Click, Stabilize, Obey: The Rise of the Machine-Archer
Smack My Controversy column Back in the day, the archer was alone with his bow (it was an intimate relationship) between the man and his tool, the same sheer connection bound him to his quiver of arrows and the importance…...