Irish Gallowglass Two-Handed Sword with ring pommel, 16th century
This two-handed sword is inspired by the massive weapons carried by elite Irish mercenaries of Scottish descent known as gallowglass (also galloglass or galloglas – an anglicized form of the Gaelic gallóglaigh / gallóglach, literally meaning “young foreign soldier”). From the mid-13th to the late 16th century, these fearless, heavily armoured infantrymen fought alongside the kerns, the light infantry that made up the bulk of Irish forces in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The gallowglasses originally came from the Norse-Gaelic clans of the Scottish Highlands, Argyll and the Hebrides (off the west coast of Scotland), whose Irish ancestors had intermarried with Norse settlers in the 10th century. Dispossessed during the Wars of Scottish Independence, they fled to Ireland, where Irish chieftains quickly recognized their value and, in exchange for loyalty and military service, granted them employment, land to settle, and rights to supplies. Many Irish lords also employed gallowglasses as bodyguards. Over the centuries, the ranks of the gallowglass gradually came to include both native Irishmen and “newer” Scottish mercenaries.
The preferred weapons of these highly skilled warriors were the two-handed sparth axe (likely a remnant of their Scandinavian heritage) and a large two-handed sword. The sword often featured a distinctive ring pommel through which the end of the blade tang passed. This open ring pommel was typical of Irish swords of the 15th and 16th centuries. Many surviving Irish-Gaelic ring-hilted originals have been discovered in archaeological excavations across Ireland and can now be admired in various museums (e.g. the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin).
This affordable gallowglass sword replica features a broad, flat, double-edged blade made of EN45 spring steel, with an approx. 15 cm long ricasso at the base and two sets of twin fullers on both sides (two running roughly one third down the blade and two shorter ones). The edges are not sharpened. The hilt has an approx. 30 cm long crossguard with E-shaped finials about 7 mm thick, a wooden grip tightly bound in brown leather, and the iconic ring pommel typical of many Irish swords.
This remarkable sword from Scottish and Irish history is supplied without a scabbard.
This late medieval / Renaissance two-handed sword is designed as a collector’s or decorative display piece. In addition to its collectible value, it is also perfectly suited as a prop, for example to complete a historical costume, and will perfectly enhance your transformation into a proud Irish warrior.
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Material: EN45 spring steel blade (high carbon steel, not stainless), leather-covered wooden grip, steel guard and pommel
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Overall length: approx. 138 cm
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Blade length: approx. 106 cm
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Blade thickness: approx. 4 mm (cutting edges approx. 1 mm)
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Hilt length: approx. 32 cm (grip approx. 19 cm)
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Max. blade width: approx. 6.5 cm
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Point of balance: approx. 20 cm from the guard
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Ring pommel dimensions: approx. Ø 5.7 cm, thickness approx. 8 mm
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Weight: approx. 2.8 kg
Specifications may vary slightly from piece to piece.
The steel used is not stainless and may show slight surface tarnishing in places. We recommend regular maintenance of the blade, for example using Ballistol Universal Oil, which is ideally suited for steel care.
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