Galway Kendo Club
The History of Kendo in Galway
Galway Kendo Club, the first of its kind in the west of Ireland,
had its start at the halla of Scoil Mhuire, Moycullen,
in January 2010. The club was founded by Patrick McGuire,
a former student of Daniel Ebihara sensei of Ken-Zen,
New York. It was through Patrick's efforts and determined
instruction that dozens of students learned the basics
of Kendo, and in the first few years a core band of
friends emerged, regularly gathering after practice
for Ribenas at the nearby pub.
As soon as members began to wear armour,
Patrick connected with local groups in Moycullen
and Galway city, organising demonstrations at the
University of Galway (then NUIG) and in town —
even as part of the Moycullen St Patrick's Day parade,
much to the surprise and delight of onlookers.
GKC also travelled religiously to Dublin and Cork to participate in national events, and in the summer of 2012, we had the honour of hosting the Irish National Kendo Championships, a major undertaking for our young club (we would host once more in 2015).
With the kind support of the Irish Kendo Federation, and in particular, Gerard Bridgeman, Vincent Long, Jason Clouston, Kathryn Cassidy, and Martin Kiosew sensei, the Club became part of a tight-knit and enthusiastic national community, gaining exposure to a higher level of kendo and steadily improving in skill and understanding over the years. We are indebted to the efforts of many international sensei, including Geoff Salmon and Terry Holt, both now sadly passed, as well as unwavering friend to Irish Kendo, Dany Delepière sensei.
Having found a new path in life, Patrick handed off leadership to senior student Aaron Kelly in 2016. With Aaron moving on shortly afterwards, twenty-year-old Daniel Mulcahy became the head instructor and Club manager. An undergraduate at the University, he also established the small but vibrant NUIG Kendo Club. In 2017, GKC moved to St Nicholas' Parochial School, Waterside, allowing members of the university and city clubs to engage in active exchange (come 2019, NUIGKC was officially disbanded). In the same year, Daniel was selected for the Irish Squad, going on to compete at a number of European Championships and international competitions. In 2018, he had the honour of joining the Irish delegation at the World Kendo Championships in Incheon, South Korea.
2018 brought Galway Kendo two more milestones. In February, we hosted the annual seminar led by Tashiro Junichi sensei, kyoshi hachidan, one of the highest grades attainable. And in October, with enough advanced practitioners to form a judging panel, we held our very first beginner (kyu) grading. Though many friends had come and gone through the years, the proud smiles of the successful candidates were a sign of hope that the Club would persist for years to come. After competing in the Irish Nationals one final time – earning silver in the men's individuals – Daniel moved to Japan to practice Kendo at the source, leaving things in the capable hands of Daniel Nunn.
GKC made a showing at the Sumi sensei seminar (the first time Ireland has ever been visited by a hanshi, a kendo master of the highest rank) in February 2020. Then, as with so much else in life, the Club went into hibernation for a number of years. When training was once again permitted in 2022, it was difficult to find a suitable venue, but we persevered, eventually landing on the Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club hall. In the past year, we have been actively involving ourselves once more in the Irish Kendo community, joining national events and receiving instruction from senior practitioners from Dublin and Cork just like in the old days. Our current members are of every age and level of experience, but we are all united by a passion for this unique martial art. We are excited to see what the future holds for Galway Kendo Club. Why not join us in finding out?
