I produce one piece walking sticks and canes from, possibly, the widest range of wood species available anywhere. My sticks include Alder, Ash, Birch, Blackthorn, Elderberry, Hazel, Hawthorn, Holly, Privet and Rhododendron. I also produce sticks from Ivy and Gorse and Sycamore but, due to scarcity of suitable shanks, they are not always available. If you are looking for a walking stick with a skil
lfully carved handle of traditional design or depicting a dog, bird, fish or other feature, then my sticks are not for you. If you are looking for a walking stick which has had rams horn, buffalo horn, cow horn or deer antler carefully added as a handle, then my sticks are not for you. If you like your walking sticks to be without flaw or imperfection and to have shanks as straight as a snooker cues, then my sticks are not for you. If, however, you would like a walking stick for every day rustic country living, a once-off stick with a handle designed only by nature, a stick with its own unique characteristics, a stick that becomes your friend, a stick not just for admiring but for taking with you on a walk, then my sticks are definitely for you. Derryhick Sticks are produced from naturally grown shanks so the size and quality can vary significantly. Each handle has to be shaped, the shank is heated for some straightening (not a lot), then follows much boring sanding and, finally, several finishing coats are applied. This is to be expected and natural cracks and colour variations must be accepted as normal characteristics. So, my slogan ‘Created by Nature – finished by hand’ accurately describes our sticks. The temptation to straighten them like billiard cues or to hide natural imperfections or other little idiosyncrasies is avoided. Instead I concentrate on shaping a comfortable grip on the handle. Once this is achieved I shave, sand and finish the shank to enhance whatever colour and grain that nature has given the stick. The end product is always a stick with its own unique look and character… one that the owner can establish an affinity with knowing that he/she will never see a copy with anyone else. COVID-19 restrictions have, strangely, been responsible for increased output from me. I've no opportunity to avail of distractions to take me away from my stickmaking and as a result I am finishing and selling more sticks/canes than ever before.
