Bata (Bataireacht or Uisce Beatha Bata Rince in Irish) or Irish stickfighting is a traditional martial art of Ireland. Often associated with hurling gangs and faction fighters, it was recently dramatised in Gangs of New York, and classically by Irish author William Carleton in "Traits And Stories of The Irish Peasantry". The stick (or "bata") is a specific weapon called a shillelagh ("sail-eille") - "bata" is a general term which can mean any kind of stick and calling stick-fighting "bata" is a modern misnomer.There is also a discussion group located on Yahoo where a ongoing open forum exists that includes several renowed experts on Irish stick play and other traditional European Martial Arts. It is an invaluable resource and very open to beginners as well as experienced students of traditional martial arts. For a web page with some insight of stick-fighting, visit the websites of Glen Doyle and John W. Hurley. For a related site that is not strictly "bata" or Irish but draws heavily from those traditions see "Non-Traditional Stickfighting" group on Yahoo.

Uisce Beatha Bata Rince means whiskey stick dance.

External links

• [http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/non-traditional_stickfighting
• ^* Yahoo Bata Discussion Group
• Shillelagh Irish Stick-Fighting - Homepage of John W. Hurley
• Hurley, John Bataireacht: The Art of Irish Stick-Fighting - "The Wild Geese Today"
• Celtic Hunt - Martial Arts and Fighting Traditions
• Whisky Stick Dancing Whiskey Stick Dancing

Stick fighting