Bataireacht is a traditional stickfighting martial art of Ireland. Often associated with hurling gangs and faction fighters, it was recently dramatised in the film Gangs of New York, and classically by Irish author William Carleton in "Traits And Stories of The Irish Peasantry". "Bata" (or "bhata") is a general term which can mean any kind of stick. The stick is mostly referred to as a shillelagh, traditionally, but can often be a hurley. The word "cudgel" is also used in period texts. Traditionally, blackthorn, oak and ash were the most common types of wood used. No known textbook for the use of the bata exists; its use has been reconstructed using period sources by modern practitioners, or has been passed down through families. Rince an Bhata Uisce Bheatha means whiskey stick dance and refers to a specific style of Bata passed through the Doyle family, where the stick is often held in two hands. Cumann Bhata is an organization that has reconstructed a one-hand version where the hand is approximately one-third of the way from the end and the stick is held just above the head. In contemporary Irish slang, a "beating" is often referred to as a "bating" or "batin'" (pronounced 'bay-ting') and it is thought that this stems from the Irish word "bata".
