Don't Get My Irish Up!

MEN'S TEE (WOMEN'S STYLES AND MORE AVAILABLE)

 The Irish immigrants made quite the impression when they landed on American shores. Their penchant for fighting and rowdiness has been immortalized with ideas of the "fighting Irish," the "Irish temper," and another famous phrase which has become mainstream. "Don't Get My Irish Up" means "don't provoke me, or my Irish temper will come out, and you'll know why we are known as the 'fighting Irish'!"

MEN'S TEE (WOMEN'S STYLES AND MORE AVAILABLE)

Celtic Harvest Reaper

It’s the busiest time of the year, HARVEST! The days are slowly getting shorter. The smell in the air starts to change. It’s becoming cooler at night. Summer is winding down. The Oak King is aging, and the Holly King is becoming stronger. The Holly king is waiting patiently for his strength to return so that he may challenge the Oak King on Samhain (Halloween), and DEFEAT him, thereby ushering in winter.

So you must stay busy. Harvest your crops and store them in preparation for the winter ahead. There’s still time. Hard work during the Harvest will be rewarded.

New Celtic Cross Designs!

This Celtic Cross design looks as though it was carved from stone! Click for a closer look.

SHOP ALL CELTIC CROSS APPAREL

The Celtic Cross is one of the most popular and enduring symbols of Celtic identity and culture. In the Dark Ages, as the Celtic populations of Britain and Ireland were converted to Christianity, they brought some of their older, pre-Christian  style to the symbols of Christianity. What was born was the Celtic Cross. A unique blend of the Old Celtic religion and the new Christian religion.

Celtic Harp

While the shamrock gets most of the glory in modern times, it's actually the Celtic harp that has been the major emblem of Ireland throughout history! The history of this emblem of the Emerald Isle stretches back into ancient times. It was the most sought after instrument throughout all of the Celtic lands, not just Ireland. Scotland, Wales, Brittany, anywhere there were vestiges of Celtic culture you would find the Celtic harp.

Celtic Cross - Hammer!

SHOP FOR APPAREL WITH THIS DESIGN HERE!

   I've always thought Celtic crosses looked cool. The image of stone crosses with the intricate medieval ornamentation dotting the rolling hills of Britain and Ireland is almost eerie. It makes me think of a time when the "magic" of the old pagan ways was just meeting the new Roman Christianity. They are like a window into the past; remnants of an older, mysterious world. Not to mention the artwork on the crosses is incredible.

   I have also been captivated by the art work of the Vikings and Medieval Germanic peoples. Their interaction with the Celts over previous centuries led to similar styles in ornamentation (for example, when you see Celtic artwork that incorporates animal motifs, this is actually Germanic/Norse in origin rather than Celtic, but the Celts adopted the style and used it extensively in their own works. These motifs are now often identified as Celtic as much as they are Norse/Germanic).

   I have also been particularly captivated by the Mjolnir symbol worn since the Vikings were haunting the high seas. I love it's simplicity and the strength and protection that it represents.

   So, I am always looking for ways to emulate the Celtic and Norse styles into my own designs. The new design below is no different. It combines the Celtic symbol of the Celtic cross with the Nordic symbol of Mjolnir to create a powerful image that pays homage to the past while keeping the spirit of the symbolism alive in the present day.

The Men's tee is pictured below, but, as always, we have styles for the girls and zip hoodies available HERE!

Celtic Cross/Hammer Combo Tee

"Angel of Death" Celtic Harp

The Celtic harp is a triangular harp traditional to Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In Ireland and Scotland it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great skill and long practice to play, and was associated with the Gaelic ruling class. In the Republic of Ireland, it appears on the coins and coat of arms. You'll even find it on the pints of Guinness that you have been guzzling down!

The Irish Brigades of the American Civil War identified themselves with a green flag emblazoned with a harp. This version incorporates an angel into the construction of the instrument with the phrase "Erin Go Bragh" ("Ireland Forever") beneath the celestial looking harp.

I wanted to recreate this image, but with a Celtic Hammer Club twist (as always). I could have drawn my own beautiful, heavenly, cosmic, stellar, cherub and turned her into the front piece of the magnificent harp. But, no. I decided to create a bad ass looking skull and bones, jagged wings, and some additional Celtic swirls and knots to create the Celtic Hammer Club "Angel of Death" Celtic harp!

Men's, women's, tanks, hoodies, etc. all available HERE!!!!

Check out all of the "Angel of Death" Celtic Harp styles in the online store!

"Patrick was a Saint, I AIN'T!"

Just in time for Saint Patrick's Day!

I created this evil looking leprechaun dude for some unique designs to celebrate the most fabulous of all the holidays, SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! Take a look and share with friends and family. I actually think these shirts would be pretty cool to wear year round, but obviously you will be ESPECIALLY awesome wearing it during the St. Patrick's Day season. Check it OUT!

SHOP THIS DESIGN!

SHOP THIS DESIGN!

"Luck of the Irish!"

"Luck of the Irish" apparel now available in the CHC store!

Feeling lucky? This original, one of a kind design features one of the most iconic slogans of the Irish people, but why are Irish people considered to be “lucky”? When Irish immigrants came to America, they faced so much adversity and hardship that the term “luck of the Irish” became popular as a sort of sarcastic joke to describe the poor Irish immigrants’ decidedly bad luck.

Since then, the slogan has taken on new meaning, and the four leaf shamrock is considered a particularly lucky symbol for the Irish and Irish culture.

This design can be a fun way to express your Irish pride any time of the year, but it would also make a particularly great gift for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!

SHOP ALL OF CELTIC HAMMER CLUB ST. PATRICK'S DAY APPAREL HERE!

Irish Gangland Designs

Two new designs!!!

These two are inspired by two different Irish gangs that were active in the Eastern United States during the 19th Century. The Dead Rabbits and the Molly Maguires.

SHOP FOR ALL APPAREL WITH THESE DESIGNS!

DEAD RABBITS                   MOLLY MAGUIRES

The Dead Rabbits

The Dead Rabbits were a notorious Irish gang that dominated the nefarious Five Points neighborhood of New York City during the mid to late 1800’s. The Dead Rabbits became part of popular culture when they were portrayed in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 film “Gangs of New York” with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the fictional leader of the well known gang.

The Dead Rabbits Gang was easily identified by the red striped shirts they wore to show their affiliation with the gang. This design incorporates the red stripes that look almost like blood or paint smears across the background of the image of a rabbit’s skull, and some Celtic Knots to reflect the Irish culture associated with the Dead Rabbits gang.

Also, The words “Dead Rabbits” and a reference to the historical and notorious Five Points neighborhood surround the rabbit skull in a vintage biker club style. This was done to tie in the old with the new to create a truly original design.

Original Dead Rabbits Design by Celtic Hammer Club

The Molly Maguires

The Molly Maguires were a secret society of Irishmen that were active in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania during the late 19th century, and by active I mean they used physical violence to fight back against the coal bosses whose treatment of their workers were nothing short of oppressive. In fact, some consider the Mollies to be a direct precursor to organized labor in the United States.

The design is done in a vintage “chalk board” style which fits perfectly for the Molly Maguires design since the style is a throw back to the 19th century saloon signs. If you look closely at all the different text on the design, you’ll see references to Molly Maguire history. The “coffin notes”, a quote from a Molly Maguire, and the legendary hand print of Alexander Campbell is imprinted on the shamrock in the middle.

Original Molly Maguires Design by Celtic Hammer Club

If you like these designs, but you would rather have them as a poster, coffee mug, travel mug, sticker, phone case, etc. ALL of those items and MORE are now available!!! Click the link to check out everything that is available.

"CHC Logo Distressed" NEW DESIGN!

Buy Men's and Women's apparel in the CHC Store!

Back again with a new design!

The Celtic Hammer Club (CHC) logo has a lot of history and meaning behind it. 

Mjolnir Amulaet as worn by Vikings of the Middle Ages

One, the hammer shape at its center is styled after Mjolnir, the name of the war hammer wielded by Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Mjolnir amulets were worn by Vikings of the Middle Ages, and thousands have been recovered by archaeologists in the British Isles.. It represents strength. 

The Book of Kells Showing extensive Celtic artwork

Second, the insular style knot work and spirals that decorate the hammer were popular in both Celtic and Germanic cultures, but has become synonymous with Celtic culture. Basically, it serves as a visual cue to the Celtic themes and artwork on CHC apparel. 

A drawing of a tattooed or painted Celtic warrior
The blue Cirlce around the CHC logo represents this 
element of Celtic history/culture

Finally, the blue circle that surrounds the hammer that looks like a paint smear. It ties the whole thing together into a neat circular logo, but I chose to use the color blue after the blue war paint that some Celtic tribes wore when going into battle. Again, its just another little representation of Celtic history and culture.

This particular version of the CHC logo is "distressed". It gives it a vintage look, and makes it look almost like a shield that's been through a war. Even if you don't have ancestors from Northern Europe, it's still a pretty cool image to rock on a shirt, and definitely unique. Check out both men's and women's apparel in the shop.

CHC Logo "Distressed"

Samhain (Halloween)

SEE THE FULL RANGE OF ORIGINAL SAMHAIN DESIGNS AND APPAREL HERE!

Samhain (Halloween) Apparel

 I absolutely love October. It finally cools off enough that I can feel comfortable again. I love the look of the leaves as they change color. I love all the pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest beers that are out, and I love Halloween.

What I didn't realize until adulthood was that all the Halloween traditions that I grew up with had its roots in pre-Christian, Pagan, Gaelic Ireland and Scotland. Everything from witches to pumpkin carving to dressing in costumes and trick or treating comes from the ancient Celtic cultures. They called the holiday Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), and it was a day that marked the end of the summer harvest season, and the start of the "darker" part of the year; the start of the winter. Celtic tradition held that the doorway between the living and the dead was open during the night of Samhain, and that both the dead and faeries known as the Aos Si roamed the land freely on the night of Samhain.

Creepy stuff, but the similarities to today's Halloween traditions are obvious.When I started to learn about Samhain I was as thrilled as Miley Cyrus riding a wrecking ball to find out that my love of Celtic history and my love of Halloween went together like potatoes and whiskey!

So i was inspired to create a special Jack O'Lantern design in honor of the Samhain holiday.

TO BEGIN..... I started with a sketch of our favorite Irishman. Mr. Jack O'Lantern (I know, that joke is unforgivable. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.) I wanted him to look sort of cartoony, but still really bad-ass and scary looking. I also wanted his vines to twist into Celtic knots underneath him to make sure this particular Jack O'Lantern had a very Irish/Celtic look to him. I also really exaggerated the flames coming out of the top of him just to add more edge to the whole image:

Sketch

THEN... Colored him in:

Colored Version

AND FINALLY... created the rest of the text and other decorative items to create the final image for the Celtic Hammer Club Apparel:

Final Image

It's got kind of a vintage "chalkboard" look to it, but, as always with Celtic Hammer Club designs, the text on the shirt has historical significance and the artwork is edgy.

I will be leaving this shirt available for purchase year round just in case some of you miss out this year (I know that's unthinkable, but there are always a few...). It's never too early to prepare for the next Halloween.

-CHC

NEW! Celtic Cross Graphic Tee Design

The next installment into the "graphic tee series" is this new "Celtic Cross" design. 

The Celtic Hammer Club Celtic Cross design combines the traditional image of the High Cross with some additional ornamentation to create a very cool, modern-looking, and stylish design that is perfect for apparel. As always, this is original artwork, and is only available at celtichammerclub.com

Now Available in the Celtic Hammer Club Store

The Celtic Cross or High Cross is one of the most recognized symbols of Celtic Culture. In Ireland, it is a popular legend that the Celtic Christian cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or possibly Saint Declan during his time converting the pagan Irish, though there are no examples from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined the symbol of Christianity with the sun cross, to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross by linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun.

"Brothers" Graphic Tee Design

Now available in the shop!

"Brothers" Graphic Tee

I'm really excited to release this design. This marks the beginning of a new line that I am in the process of developing. I've had the idea for a while to create some shirts that could fit in with the graphic tees that are so popular now-a-days. I love rocking shirts with Celtic/Norse inspired artwork on it, but most of the apparel I've seen have big, bright screen printed designs. That's all fine and good, but maybe I want something more subtle. Something a little more classy. That's what inspired this design. It's fashionable. It could appeal to anyone. It's modern, but still has a traditional Celtic flair to it.

The "Brothers" theme is meant to reflect the important and especially strong bond between brothers. The writing on the shirt is meant to describe the meaning of the "Brothers" Celtic design that accompanies it.

Brothers.
Intertwined as they are in life;
Each watches the others back;
True and loyal companions;
They are

Brothers.

 I've been working hard on other designs. More to come!

-CHC-

Celtic Hammer Club Store

New Promotional Images!

We created some new promotional images that i think came out AWESOME! I'm very happy with them. I can't decide if I prefer the color version (which I like because you can see some more detail in the plaid Donegal cap), or the sepia version which I think is very, very cool.

The shirts featured in these promo images are, from left to right, the "Brothers" Raglan tee, the CHC Logo tee, and the CHC "Badge Logo" tee. Women's apparel also available with these designs as well as a large variety of sizes and colors.


On a side note, the "talent" was very diffic--*cough*-- I mean... just a delight to work with ;) haha

Color Version

Sepia with Colored Logo

I'm sure we will use both images, but sound off in the comments below to tell us which image you like, and why.