Real violence in the US has been all over the web for years and now—as shown by the rise of street fighter turned MMA contender Kimbo Slice—even upstreaming to primetime TV. Bare-knuckle fights over there are a hyped-up, pumped-up production set to a high-octane soundtrack of Slipknot and sometimes rap. Filmed fisticuffs in Ireland however are a bit different. Shot on shitty camcorders, they are a gritty, lo-fi affair featuring two big blokes with their shirts off and their dukes up, somewhere in the countryside. The only sounds you hear are fists hitting soft, flabby flesh, the scuffle of trainers on country lanes, and the barks of onlooking men, women and children, as well as the occasional dog.
Instead of embracing the digital age, Irish prize fights are actually going more underground. A government crackdown on videos on YouTube and eBay, has led to a boom in the flogging of DVDs at market stalls—as I found out the other day when I purchased one for a fiver.
Compared to the showy, money-orientated American fight industry, the Irish seem hilariously quaint. But they care less about crowd-pulling capitalism and more about an ancient gypsy code. Unlike happy slapping, bumfights, chickfights and the other human cockfights we see these days, Irish bare-knuckle fighting is a traditional, centuries-old way for travellers to settle internecine disputes over land or money or honor.
A one-sided £10,000 prize fight.
Outlawed but tolerated by the police, these contests take place at horse fairs, on campsites, or on country laybys. There a set of rules enforced by referee watching out for dirty moves and making sure the breaks are clean.
What happens when a gypsy tradition gets Americanized.
However, despite the pretense of a gentlemanly conduct, fighters are not averse to pulling secret gypsy martial art moves, like the disguised head-butt that can shatter a man’s face, and the special punch that knocks teeth out. Though they appear orderly and contained and frequently end with a civilized handshake, disputes over the result can often lead to clan warfare, bloodthirsty retribution, and even murder.
This violence has led a bunch of folks to call bullshit on the whole gypsy honor code. “Fair my bollocks,” says one commentator. “They'd hit ya over the head with a bottle then rob ya then stick the bottle in your face as quick as look at ya. They’re a shower of inbred, degenerate, scumbag bastards. A stain on Irish society.”
A title fight watched by 1000 people and widely regarded as a classic encounter.
Politicians in Ireland have attacked gypsy fight videos for being exploitative and playing on stereotypes about knackers and tinkers being nutcases who talk gibberish. I guess that’s why on the DVD cover, beneath this quote:
“Over two hours of gypsies punching the hell out of each other and shouting stuff that you wont be able to understand!”
it carries the following disclaimer:
“This DVD does not glorify hatred, violence or racial intolerance, or promote organizations with such views. All the contestants are willing participants. The contents of the DVDs provide substantial information of social value for educational purposes. NOT FOR VIEWING BY PERSONS UNDER 21 yrs”
A documentary about the late champion Bartley Gorman by Shane Meadows.
that dude in the first video sounds like the fucking swedish chef.
Posted by: hahahah | 29/05/2008 at 16:12
Yeah, definitely prefer the Pogues to whatever POD-inspired nu-metal they used for Real BKB.
Posted by: brook | 29/05/2008 at 16:18
I thought the first video was some homo shit!
Round my neck of the woods what they were doing is called 2nd base.
Posted by: Vybz Cartel | 29/05/2008 at 16:25
Kimbo would waste these fat fucks in a nanosecond.
Posted by: slo ho mo | 29/05/2008 at 16:38
My friend once gave me a dvd with Irish Boxing, needless to say, it's rather pointless.
Posted by: blah blah | 29/05/2008 at 17:02
"needless to say, it's rather pointless"
Yeah, unlike the rest of competitive sports.
Posted by: pointless | 29/05/2008 at 17:52
None of you's durty palefaces have any idea about knacker fightin, I'll kill yis all tonite on the Kells Road, next to the Silver Tankard pub. Or in Nobber, at Muff Crescent, call a time. Anywhere any of yis like, I'd clem the head clean of any Crown. Up the fuckin RA.
Posted by: Paddy Delaney | 29/05/2008 at 18:32
it's pretty hard to come across as hard when half the words in your diatribe sound like landmarks in Hobbit Town.
Posted by: republiclan | 29/05/2008 at 18:43
It's unfortunate that there is a link to Robert Maltby's story next to this article. It's hard to see why we are seemingly becoming a more violent society.
Posted by: | 29/05/2008 at 18:52
"Gobshite..."
Ha!
Posted by: Jock | 29/05/2008 at 20:14
@ Vybz - Kimbo is a professional; a man who is paid to train full-time. These lads don't do any training. They're just naturally hard, because they're gypsies. I'm sure Kimbo would defeat any of them if they fought today, but what would they be capable of if they underwent similar conditioning?
Posted by: PK | 30/05/2008 at 11:09
Fairly interesting,
You cant compare this to professional MMA or Boxing this is just unskilled brawling.
MMA is very technical takes years of training and requires an extremely high level of fitness, these guys are fat unskilled and would get killed in a professional fight.
Posted by: The Bear | 30/05/2008 at 11:14
stop looking into things! its just a fucking fight.
Posted by: fuar uisce | 30/05/2008 at 12:11
"You cant compare this to professional MMA or Boxing this is just unskilled brawling.
MMA is very technical takes years of training and requires an extremely high level of fitness, these guys are fat unskilled and would get killed in a professional fight."
You are a fucking NERD.
Posted by: steeeve | 30/05/2008 at 15:14
"You cant compare this to professional MMA or Boxing this is just unskilled brawling.
MMA is very technical takes years of training and requires an extremely high level of fitness, these guys are fat unskilled and would get killed in a professional fight."
SO when do you remove their collective cocks from your watering mouth?
Posted by: The Realest | 30/05/2008 at 19:43
It's almost as if there's a new cool feature film coming out about gypsy fighting. What a coincidence Vice
Posted by: AW | 30/05/2008 at 23:40
Cant believe Aney won that fight. Dan was robbed.
Posted by: Leah Sullivan | 31/05/2008 at 00:27
We used to watch these videos when we were kids in Ireland.
Tinkers are fuckin crazy
Posted by: Ciarán | 31/05/2008 at 00:29
damn knackers. why can't they be sterilised
Posted by: nkpg | 31/05/2008 at 09:24
Lenny McClean would drop Kimbo in 3 or Roy Shaw for that matter...
Pikey cunts!!!
Posted by: Daz | 05/06/2008 at 15:52
Pikey cunts! yea well all us travellers hate YOU FUCKING GREEN ARSED GORGI's aswell!!!!!. Ive never seen or heard of a traveller loose a fight to a gorgi.Every traveller i know laughs at gorgis.Myself i think your all wimps.few punches and gorgis give up lol.I had a fight while back with a so called hard man of the town who beat up other gorgis every weekend, for years he picked on people and beat people up, but then he met a traveller ie ME and i beat him up no trouble.Couldnt believe all the fuss about him.Hes supposed to be an animal and all that sort of rubbish well i beat him coz of 1 reason and 1 reason only coz im a traveller thats why.We are born hard and taught to stick up for ourselves.So all you wimps stop slagging us off and have a go if you think you can!!!
Posted by: dinlo | 31/03/2009 at 07:52
WOW KNACKER YOUR TUFF. I know for definite i would batter you alone. But the problem is see... my house would get burgled or burnt out along with my car and id have no peace for a good ten years from you inbred cunts. You think your so tuff individually. But you aint shit without your dirty clan behind you!
Posted by: Bailey Boxer | 14/08/2009 at 19:40
imbred itinerants are of romanie origin and dont represnt true irish bare fist fighting.any humanbieng can swing like these people.true irish fighters dont pronounce there fights on the web.get an education and stop telling everyone your irish
Posted by: MR EDDIE EGAN | 24/12/2009 at 20:14
THE TRUE NATIVES OF IRELAND ARE THE IRISH TRAVELLERS OF OUR ISLAND WE DID NOT BOW DOWN TO THE ROMANS WE DID NOT BOW DOWN TO THE DEVIL CROMWELL WHO BURNT OUR FARMS AND TOOK OUR LAND FOR THE ENGLISH WHO RENTED THEM TO U SO CALLED IRISH WHO DONT NO THERE HISTORY BUT WE HAD TO STAY ON THE ROAD WHILE U SO CALLED IRISH SLEPT IN OUR BEDS AND LIVED ON OUR FARMS AND ATE OUR CROPS THAT WE SOED FOR CENTURIES AND EVEN WHEN U SEE US ON THE ROAD U LAUGHF AND U DARE TO CALL US THIEVES AND NO ONE WANTS TO GIVE US BACK OUR LAND SO SLEEP TIGHT WHLE U CAN BECAUSE ONE DAY U WILL TURN AROUND AND WE WILL TAKE IT ALL BACK AND THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD SO GOOD LUCK TO THE TRUE NATIVE OF IRELAND THE TRAVELLING MAN A MUNN PRODUCTION
Posted by: THE MUNN | 02/04/2010 at 03:12
to the munn-all my life i have been saying what you have stated so elliqently the list of cromwell's so called adventurers is 1200 surnames long. and if you beheaded a tinker-traveler like the kennedy, reagon clinton, bush. carter you were rewarded with a presidency of usa,the true indiginous? They were Tuatha De Dannan! Yes! The Tinker's evermore!
culla slan!
Posted by: maggie roche | 17/09/2010 at 08:22