We are happy and gratefull to announce that hereby our friend Ruadhán MacFadden (Heidelberg, Germany/Ireland) is certified as a 1st degree member in our Bardic Assembly (Lore).

Ruadhán is best known as martial arts instructor, blogger and youtuber (see The Hero with a Thousand Holds), where he researches, explores and explains the old wrestling style from his irish Motherland known as Collar & Elbow. As he explains on his website:

“Collar and Elbow (in Irish “Coiléar agus Uille” or “Brollaidheacht”) is the national wrestling style of Ireland. Historically it has also been practiced in regions of the world with large Irish diaspora populations, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is characterised by the fixed grips that wrestlers are required to take on their opponents’ jackets, and by its focus on leg techniques such as trips, footsweeps, and hip throws.”

Through intense research and study, Ruadhán started a revival of this style, which was once very popular, but declined unfortunately. While other folk wrestling styles exist still today, Ireland nearly lost its own. He started with his research and in Heidelberg in 2019 a series of Collar and Elbow bouts were held. In 2020, a Collar and Elbow society was established at Dublin City University (DCU) – the first club dedicated to the wrestling style in Ireland in roughly 100 years.

In 2021 Ruadhán published his book on the history, tradition and techniques of Irish Collar & Elbow Wrestling (check out Fallenrooks Publishing), an excellent work for everyone interested in the history of Ireland, Folk Wrestling styles, historical martial arts and grappling in general.

For this and all his other contributions, as the president and head-instructor of the Cateran Society it is my pleasure to announce the admission of Ruadhán into our Bardic Assembly.

Congratulations!