Gallows Sword Without Sheath

Enjoy Gallows Sword Without Sheath

Irish two-handed gallowglass sword with ring pommel, 16th century



The model for this two-handed sword was the massive broadswords of the elite Irish mercenaries of Scottish descent, known as gallowglass (also galloglass or galloglass - an anglicisation of the Gaelic gallóglaigh / gallóglach , literally translated as young foreign soldier). Between the mid-13th and late 16th centuries, these fearless, heavily armed foot soldiers fought alongside the core light infantry that formed the bulk of the Irish armed forces in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.



The Gallowglass originally came from the Gaelic Norse clans of the Scottish Highlands, the Argylls, and the Hebrides (off the west coast of Scotland), whose Irish ancestors had intermarried with the Norse settlers of the 10th century. When they were dispossessed during Scotland’s Wars of Independence, they fled to Ireland, where Irish princes quickly recognised their worth and granted them work, land to settle on, and the right to provisions in return for their loyalty and military service. Many Irish lords also employed Gallowglasses as bodyguards. Over the centuries, the ranks of the Gallowglass were also filled with native Irish and newer Scottish mercenaries.



The preferred weapons of the highly trained Gallowglass soldiers were a two-handed sparth axe (probably a relic of their Scandinavian heritage) and a two-handed greatsword. The sword often had a characteristic ring-shaped pommel, through which the end of the blade's tang visibly passed. This unique open ring pommel was relatively typical of Irish swords of the 15th and 16th centuries. Many preserved Irish-Gaelic ring-pommeled swords were found during archaeological excavations throughout Ireland and can now be admired in various museums (e.g. in the Irish National Museum - National Museum of Ireland - in Dublin).



Our inexpensive reconstruction of a gallowglass sword has a broad, flat, double-edged blade of en45 spring steel with a ricasso approximately 15cm long at the base and four fullers on each side (two running about a third of the length of the blade and two shorter ones). The cutting edges are unsharpened. The handle has a cross-guard approximately 30cm long with e-shaped ends approximately 7mm thick, a wooden grip firmly wrapped in brown leather, and finished with the iconic ring pommel that adorns many Irish swords.

This beautiful piece of Scots-Irish history comes unscabbarded.



This two-handed sword from the late Middle Ages/Renaissance is designed as a collector's item or decorative object. It is also ideal as an accessory, for example to complete your costume, and will make your transformation into a proud Irish warrior simply perfect.



Details:

- Material: EN45 spring steel blade (carbon steel, not stainless), wooden handle with leather sheath, steel guard and pommel

- Total length: approx. 138cm

- Blade length: approx. 106 cm

- Blade thickness: approx. 4 mm (cutting edges approx. 1 mm)

- Handle length: approx. 32 cm (handle section approx. 19 cm)

- Maximum blade width: approx. 6.5 cm.
- Center of gravity: approx. 20 cm in front of the guard

- Ring knob dimensions: approx. 5.7 cm ø, 8 mm thick

- Weight: approx. 2.8 kg



The above specifications may vary slightly from specimen to specimen.



The steel used here is not stainless and may show slight signs of corrosion. We recommend taking care of the blade regularly, for example with Ballistol, a universal oil ideal for preserving steel products.



Please note:

This item is only sold to persons over 18 years of age. Please enter your date of birth on our order form. We also require a copy of your ID, driving licence or similar by email, scan, fax or post.



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