Celtic Stickmakers Club

Well , it’s that time of year again and we look forward to the Game Fair at Birr on Saturday and Sunday the 28th and 29th of August 2010 . This year there is a difference for us stickmakers , as we go into competition for the first time ever on an all Ireland competition basis. An invitation has been extended to our colleagues from the North of Ireland to join us in an historic first for the Birr Game Fair ; an invitation they have gracefully accepted !This competition will be open to all and will consist of fourteen classes including two for novices only , which , I must stress does not exclude novices from the other twelve , so let your creative juices flow ! (As we stickmakers always say ! ) Some basic rules and guidelines will apply . The competition willtake place on the Celtic Stickmakers CLub stand on Sunday the 29th of August 2010 . Entries will be taken from 10:00am Sunday morning , with final entries accepted up to 12:30 pm . Entrants will be allowed a maximum of three sticks per class . There will be an entrance fee of one euro for each stick entered in any class . No sticks are to be removed from the show before 4:00pm on the day without special permission . The sticks will be judged by Mr Tom kavanagh and Mr lindsay Carlisle on the day . There will be rosettes for first second and third places in each class . Mr Albert Titterington of the Great Game Fairs of Ireland has generously donated a perpetual trophy , a tankard , and two hundred euros for the best stick in show ! Also the reserve stick in show will receive a tankard and rosette . I must take this opportunity to thank Mr Albert Titterington and his team for his kindness and help to us over the years in Birr and for being a motivator in getting this competition up and running . They say competition is healthy and I know this one will be just that , but we will also be striving to ensure that it will be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved ,so if stickmaking appeals to you come to Birr for the Game Fair .If we cannot make the stick be assured we can talk the stick ! Enjoy !

Greetings to all in the stickmaking world . On Sunday last the 7th of March , our friends in the Northern Ireland Stickmakers Club joined us in Dublin for what turned out to be a most enjoyable get together , and believe me , was an eyeopener for us all ! In the words of our Chairman Tom Kavanagh , this was a meeting of minds that we had strived for since the founding of our Club , and proved informative and enjoyable to everyone who attended . There was a sharing of ideas and of the trials and errors that help us all to try to get to where we want to be in stickmaking . We were treated to some works of art in the form of “fancy sticks ” which were inspiring to say the least , and I believe we gave them some ideas to take home with them ! A big thanks to Jim Matthews who helped set this up and to Barry , and Roger , and all the members of the Northern Ireland Stickmakers who graced us with the pleasure of their company . Also a big thank you to Stephen and Mary Coffey and all the Scouting people who provided thousands of gallons of tea and tons of sandwiches for us ! As you know stickmaking is a hungry business !! Looking forward to seeing you all at our workshop at Paddy Rahillys’ residence on Saturday next the 13th of March

Greetings to all fellow Stickmakers . It is with regret that I inform you of the sudden passing of one of our colleagues in the Celtic Stickmakers Club . Mr John Hayes late of Mill street , Blarney , Co. Cork was a popular member of our Club since its’ inception in 2006 , and his passing is a sad shock to us all . I would like to extend our heart felt sympathy to his family from the Committee and members of the Celtic Stickmakers Club on their sad loss .

To help us all create the perfect stick, there are a number of events to note in your calendar:

• February 6 – Workshop – Tom Kavanagh’s Home, Clonsast, Rathangan, Co Kildare, 11 am
• February 13 – Workshop – Scout Hall, Toher, Co Cork, 11 am
• February 28 – Get-together – O’Loughlins Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois,  – including a stickmaker’s competition!
• March 7 – Get-together – Scout Hall, Bunting Road, Dublin (just off the Long Mile Road).

We have invited our stickmaking friends from Northern Ireland to join us and swap ideas. I encourage everyone to bring a stick or two or three on the day!

For more information about these events, contact me.

Yours in stickmaking,

Robin O’Reilly

Hon’ Sec’ Celtic Stickmakers Club

Greeting to all in the Celtic Stickmakers Club,  North,  South,  East and West !

I apologize for the delay in updating the site, but I put it down to fear of the unknown, fear of wrecking the site, and a great ability to press all the wrong buttons, so please bear with me!

As many of you are aware, we had a terrific day on Saturday the 5th of September last in David Walshs’ workshop in Wexford , when we were in the company of Colm Mc ginley , Ian James and Andrew jones who all gave freely of their time and skills to show us how to carve , turn and generally create the best in sticks , wood turning , and carving .

Everyone involved in setting up this demonstration can be rightly proud of the way things turned out on the day, as could be seen by the turnout of members from all over the country, including stickmakers from the North of Ireland who made  the long journey down to join us for the day.  One of the legacies of the day is that we have three sticks to raffle at our A.G.M. on the 18th of October 2009  in O’ Loughlins Hotel,  Portlaoise . The sticks were made on the day by Ian James and Andrew Jones (when they weren’t signing autographs!) and we believe they they are very collectible, to say the least ! Anyway our next “do” is the AGM in Portlaoise, and I will be contacting all  members by post with details of same shortly . Your comments are really welcome and, like in stickmaking:  if you’re critical, make it constructive !!

Robin O’ Reilly  Hon’ Secretary .

Don’t miss our special  stickmaking workshop on Saturday, September 5th, featuring Andrew Jones (co-author of Stickmaking – the stickmakers’ bible), our own Colm McGinley from Donegal (demonstrating woodturning) and Ian James giving demonstrations and tips on wood carving.

Anyone interested in stickmaking is welcome.

Contact us for further information and directions.