About
As part of European Heritage Open Day 2024 Medieval Combat Group would like to give the public an opportunity to find out about our European martial heritage.
Often medieval swordplay is portrayed in film and tv by actors swinging wildly with incredibly heavy swords but the reality is quite different: Swords were light and nimble, capable of incredibly fast cuts and defences. A subtle martial art developed over hundreds of years which was not only capable of lethality but also with techniques to prevent loss of life.
As part of European Heritage Open Day attendees will be able to learn about the use of medieval swords through talks, demonstrations and conversations with fencers from Northern Ireland's Medieval Combat Group.
Talks and demonstrations will introduce audiences to the contents of historical manuscripts on the Longsword and Messer (long knife) and showcase interpretations of these sources reconstructed into fighting techniques. Recreation manuscripts will be on display to allow audiences to see how martial techniques were recorded in the 15th and 16th centuries.
We often see depictions of indiscriminate killing in medieval life but taking a life with a bladed weapon could have severe consequences in medieval towns. The context of bladed weapons will be covered in talks and demonstrations. In particular messer (long knife) fencing has many techniques designed to subdue an assailant but leave them unharmed, or at least alive; to make sure that defending yourself didn't get you hung! And sometimes showing off your skill without harming your opponent was just the thing for public tournaments!
Historical European Martial Arts is the recreation of historical fighting styles based on surviving martial sources. Using modern protective equipment for safety these techniques can be recreated as they might have been used during combat.
Established in 2011, Medieval Combat Group has taught longsword, messer, and a range of other weapons, to hundreds of people, demonstrated Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) on Television, been interviewed on radio, spoken at academic conferences, and taken part in a wide range of public showcases. Our instructors have taught at a range of HEMA events both in the UK and Ireland, and elsewhere in Europe, and competed successsfully in tournaments both on the island and abroad.
Guide Prices
| Ticket Type | Ticket Tariff |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free |
Please contact the organiser for any further information that's required.
