Knights in shining armour fight it out in full-force Irish battle
Up to 60 armoured fighters will engage in bone-crunching combat on September 2-3. Picture: Caroline Walsh
Nine to five, Monday to Friday, he is but a humble civil servant working diligently for the State and its citizens, with a paper cut or eye strain perhaps his biggest injury fears.
However, at the weekend, he’s a knight in shining armour who’s ready to take up arms and strike down his opponents with a sword or axe.
Meet Brendan Halpin, 39, from Cork, a member of the Knights of Munster, one of the growing number of clubs here whose members take part in the ferocious niche sport of full-on, full-force, full-contact medieval armoured combat — like a real-life battle.
Forget gumshields and shin-guards — they just won’t cut it. The standard kit is a full head-to-toe suit of medieval body armour, which can weigh up to 25kgs.
And the equipment required to ‘play’? A medieval sword, a short one or the longer William Wallace/ style two-handed sword, an axe or a polearm.
All blunted, Brendan is quick to point out. But still...
“It’s like full-contact MMA combat but with the added danger of being able to strike your opponents with medieval weapons,” explains softly-spoken Brendan.
“The armour works incredibly well and your risk of serious injury is probably lower than if you were playing rugby or even soccer.”
He and his fellow modern-day knights are now preparing to take part in a major international tournament organised by Medieval Armoured Combat Ireland (MACI) in the spectacular surrounds of the restored Claregalway Castle in Galway on September 2-3.
Up to 60 fully-armoured fighters from all over Ireland, the UK, Belgium, France and the US are set to compete in the magnificent castle grounds over two days of bone-crunching combat across a range of duels and group categories.
It will be one of the biggest-ever international tournaments hosted by MACI, the first public tournament it has hosted here since covid, and possibly the biggest medieval tournament held at the castle since its days as a chief stronghold of the Clanricarde Burkes in the 15th century.
MACI will be defending their title as the winners of last year’s Claregalway Castle Shield.
The history of medieval armoured combat can be traced back more than 1,000 years to feudal Europe, when knights would take part in peacetime clashes to stay in shape and test their skills.
Today’s contests are broadly similar, with competitors wearing historically-accurate steel medieval armour, and wielding blunted steel swords, axes, maces, and more, as they enter a fenced combat area known as ‘the list’ to showcase sword-fighting skills while engaging in full-contact combat either one-on-one or in group fights.
Although still very much a niche sport here, full-contact medieval combat has grown quite dramatically in Ireland in the last few years, going from just a few fighters in the whole country to now having multiple local clubs, such as the Knights of Munster and the Galway team 1316, while the skill and expertise at a national level improves constantly.
Brendan, a spokesman for MACI, says he and many of his fellow competitors were already involved in medieval re-enactment clubs when they first learned of the sport.
“I also have a masters in archaeology and I was studying medieval armours by picking them up and moving them around, so getting involved in this sport seemed to be the next logical step, to actually put on the armour and then let people hit me with weapons,” he says.
He recalls his first real taste of the sport when he and two friends travelled to Spain more than a decade ago to compete in the world championships — with just one suit of armour shared between them.
“The armour and weapons are all classed as sports equipment at airports. The airport security have seen much worse,” he says.
“I was in an open category in Spain. It wasn’t competitive but there are photographs of me after my first time in the list with a huge grin across my face.
“I had a few pulled muscles alright after it but nothing more serious than that.”
And it’s been a constant love affair with the sport since.
It has grown from a handful of enthusiasts scattered around the country to four or five clubs with almost 30 enthusiasts involved today.
They will be among the participants at the international tournament in Galway the weekend after next, which will also include four-time world champion, Lara Serviolle.
Lara, a former stunt worker who moved from Paris to Sligo over a decade ago, is one of the world's greatest exponents of the longsword, which is used in a dual sword battle featuring strikes, punches, and kicks.
She and her opponents will compete in the sword and shield category, in the longsword category, and in the polearm duels in which competitors are armed with seven to eight-foot-long poles.
The duels work a bit like boxing, with points awarded based on where blows land.
Competitors get a point for a clean hit with the weapon, for a disarm, or for knocking their opponent down, and whoever gets the most points wins the round. The first fighter to win two rounds wins the fight.
But in the no-holds-barred melees between teams of up to five competitors — sometimes involving 30 or more players at a time — it’s a case of last person standing wins.
If anything other than a competitor’s feet touches the ground, they are deemed out for the round.
“It looks quite brutal but there’s a lot of tactics to it, making sure to position your fighters right, take advantage of the space and any advantage you can find,” says Brendan.
He has urged people to attend the tournament on September 2 and 3 to witness the combat action while enjoying a festival atmosphere in the beautiful castle surrounds.
“We have been holding this tournament, in one of the finest castles in the country, since 2015, and with every year it grows in both size and the quality of the competitors.
"This will be our first tournament open to the public since covid and we couldn’t be more excited to have a crowd cheering us on again,” he says.
MACI is more than willing to help and encourage anyone into the sport.
“You don’t need your own suit or armour or equipment to get involved,” he says.
“We are a fully open and inclusive club and we are ready to take everyone.”
Brendan says as well as the fighting, the international tournament will feature food, crafts, and other entertainment, especially on Sunday when the castle’s usual autumn gardening and craft fair takes place.
The event will be open to the public each day from 11am, and costs €10 per adult, with children attending for free.
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