On Saturday 24th Jan 09 a demonstration day was held at the MCR Community Centre to introduce the art of fencing to the people of Sligo. This event was organised by Mark McEvoy, a certified fencing coach with over ten years of experience, with support from Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership. This event was co-hosted by guest coaches Dr Chris Gill and Mr Alistair Davidson, from the University of Ulster Coleraine fencing club.

The purpose of the demonstration day was to find out if the people in Sligo had an interest in the sport of fencing, to show that a sustainable fencing club could be developed in the town. From this point of view this event was deemed successful. There was a lot of foot traffic throughout the day, and people who turned up at the demonstration got to find out about fencing and most got to try on the protective equipment and handle the blades themselves.

Some of the journalists at the event were drawn in from reporting the activities, to taking part in them. This included participation in a brief overview of the footwork and posture along with a basic fencing lesson.

Several groups of young children turned up to the event dragging their parents behind them. These kids were eager to emulate the heroes they had seen from pirate films and were enthusiastic when being taught basic fencing drills. The parents and several on-lookers were surprised when, after only 30 minutes of instruction, these young people had picked up enough technique that the coaches could referee quick matches between them.

Sensei Darren Hayes, from the Shuriken Jutsu club in Sligo, supported the event. Darren gave a great demonstration of Japanese sword techniques after he had tried out the European counterpart.

In the end, a fun day was had by all. The participants left positive comments, many saying they would be interested in joining a club if one were started. The hosts enjoyed displaying an art they have a fondness for and had fun giving the public a chance to get involved. For further information on Fencing, or the development of a local club, please contact Mark on 085 1688869 or Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership on 071 91 61511.

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