The short sword was the perfect secondary weapon for the Irish gallowglass who with their great two-handed swords and backed up with their lightly armed retainers known as the Kern achieved distinction in the mid 1500s as ferocious mercenary fighters.
The chief advantage of a short sword was that in really close fighting such as that on a battle field it was much easier and lighter to wield a short sword rather than a large two-handed type which was of more use at the outset of the battle.
Irish short swords display distinctive features found only on Irish swords such as hollow ring pommels through which the sword tang can clearly be seen and the cruciform shaped guards are often decorated with a cut out “E” shape or some other similar feature. Light, versatile and handy to draw out of the scabbard quickly, the Irish short sword was every bit as important even if not as impressive as its larger two-handed cousin.
Key Features
EN45 Spring Steel
Historically accurate
High Quality Construction
Specification
Blade Length 70.0cm
Blade Width 4.8cm 2"
Grip Length 10.3cm 4"
Overall Length 89.0cm 35"