This Gaelic-Norse Gallowglass sword has the characteristic ring-pommel and flared crossguard associated with these mercenary warriors who formed the solid backbone of an Irish chieftains battleline. Typically hailing from the Norse-Gaelic clans who were of mixed Norse and Scot ancestry, the Gallowglass were prized warriors who could be counted on for loyalty to their employer as they themselves were removed from the intricacies of local politics. In time, as more of the Gallowglass warriors settled and their clans of origin became more deeply rooted in Ireland, the term Gallowglass would blur into a term for a professional warrior class. Their mixed ancestry of Norse and Scot showed in their choice of weaponry; namely the large Sparth axe and large ring-hilted swords such as this.
This Gallowglass longsword has a blade forged from EN45 high carbon steel and its edges are thickly blunted and at least 2 mm in thickness to make it suitable for sport and stage combat. A shallow hollow-ground cross section of the blade maintains durability whilst reducing some weight. The guard and pommel are fashioned from steel and the tang is peened over the pommel. The well-contoured diamond shaped grip provides a secure holdfast to the sword whilst allowing its bearer to intuitively judge his edge alignment from the handle – it is crafted from wood and bound in finely stitched and fitted leather.
The sword comes with a wood-core scabbard and, like the sword grip, is overlaid in quality vegetable-tanned leather to match. Also available is a stylistically matching arming sword and dagger that can complement this sword perfectly – these are available separately and thumbnail links are provided on this page.
Acouthyt (verified owner) –
It looks nice and does have the shape of a sword, but unfortunately, after light pell training, the crossguard became loose, and the grip bent both to the side and up at the bottom of the hilt.