About Us – Irish Walking Sticks

Laurence is a carpenter and joiner by trade, with a deep passion for woodworking and traditional craftsmanship. His approach to making sticks is rooted in patience, precision, and doing the job properly.

He has a particular love for traditional methods — favouring time-honoured techniques over modern shortcuts whenever possible. Peg joints, hand-finished details, and careful shaping are all part of his way of working. For Laurence, every stick must be made with attention to detail and respect for the craft.

Alongside traditional blackthorn sticks, he also enjoys creating more decorative pieces, including sticks featuring spacers made from holly or Irish bog oak, and handles crafted from beautiful burl woods such as maple, silver birch, and other striking timbers. These pieces combine traditional forms with fine woodworking skills, producing sticks that are both practical and visually unique.

Louis brings a creative and artistic approach to the craft. Each autumn, when the leaves fall and the hedgerows reveal their shapes more clearly, he enjoys searching for unusual and characterful pieces of blackthorn — the kind that naturally lend themselves to distinctive and often one-of-a-kind shillelaghs.

There is something deeply satisfying about taking a naturally shaped piece of wood and turning it into something useful and beautiful. Some sticks follow traditional forms, while others become more unusual creations shaped by the natural curves and features of the wood itself.

Alongside the making side of the craft, Louis has spent much of his working life involved in sales, retail, and online commerce. That experience led to the creation of IrishWalkingSticks.com, with the aim of sharing our work more widely and building a place where people can discover genuine Irish walking sticks made in the traditional way.

Our goal is simple — to grow this website into a trusted and respected home for blackthorn walking sticks, shillelaghs, and all things connected to Irish stick making, history, and culture.

All of our walking sticks are made in our workshop in Northern Ireland, using blackthorn and other native woods sourced locally.

Our sticks are harvested each year from hedgerows in County Tyrone and just across the border in County Donegal, only a few miles from where we work. Harvesting usually takes place between mid-November and the end of January, when the wood is at its best and the natural growth patterns are easiest to see.

We take great care to harvest responsibly from sustainable hedgerows, ensuring that the land continues to thrive and produce healthy growth year after year.

One of the most important parts of making a quality walking stick is patience.

After harvesting, the wood is seasoned naturally for around four years. This slow seasoning process strengthens the wood and helps prevent splitting or warping later on. Because we maintain a large stockpile of carefully stored sticks, we can afford to give each piece the time it needs — something that simply cannot be rushed.

Many modern producers cut corners at this stage, but we believe that proper seasoning is essential to producing strong, reliable, long-lasting walking sticks.

No two pieces of blackthorn are ever exactly the same. Each one grows differently depending on its surroundings — shaped by weather, soil, and time.

That natural variation is what makes every stick unique.

Some customers prefer classic, traditional styles, while others are drawn to more unusual shapes and characterful designs. Whether simple or decorative, each stick is carefully selected, shaped, and finished with the same care and respect for the craft.

Our finishes typically include traditional oiling methods or carefully applied varnish, depending on the style and intended use of the stick.

We are not newcomers to this craft.

With knowledge passed down through our grandfather, father, and now to us, we are continuing a tradition that spans generations. What once served as everyday tools for walking, farming, and travel has become something appreciated for both its usefulness and its heritage.

Today, we are proud to offer these traditional Irish walking sticks to people across the world — from collectors and walkers to those simply looking for something authentic and well made.

Our aim is to build IrishWalkingSticks.com into a trusted and respected source for traditional Irish walking sticks and shillelaghs.

We want this website to become:

- A place where people can find genuine handmade Irish sticks

- A source of knowledge about traditional stick making

- A connection to Irish craftsmanship and heritage

- A home for quality, tradition, and authenticity

We believe that when something is made properly, with care and pride, it speaks for itself.

From time to time, customers look for something specific — a certain length, handle style, wood type, or decorative feature.

We are always happy to discuss custom orders where possible.

If you are looking for something special, please feel free to get in touch through our Contact page, and we will do our best to help.

Harvesting in winter hedgerows, shaping wood in the workshop, and seeing a finished stick take its final form — these are the parts of the process we enjoy most.

Walking stick making is more than work for us. It is part of our history, our environment, and our way of life.

We are proud to continue the tradition — and proud to share it with you.