With so many different ways to customize a lacrosse stick it's not unusual to create something that's a little different compared to other sticks on the field but you sometimes come across something that stands out more than most. As an avid collector of various types of lacrosse memorabilia I'm always on the lookout for rare items and when something has a cool story with it then that adds to the mystery.
A few months ago I managed to win a number of items on eBay being sold by another collector, small world....as the seller was also named Jason and also owns a lacrosse story. We have had some dealings in the past and even exchanged a long phone call once chatting about various things we had in our collections.
One of the sticks I won was this amazing Team Ireland Brine Vapor mounted on an authentic Irish Shillelagh. The stick was said to have been presented to the Ireland Lacrosse legend, Jim Carrol who sadly lost his battle with cancer in 2016
Jimmy dedicated his life to the service of others. He served in Vietnam as a Sargent in the United States Marine Corps. After Vietnam, he became a Trooper in the New York State Police. After an on-duty accident forced him to retire from the NYSP, he opened a tavern in NYC and then a successful insurance agency in New Jersey. All of this, alongside his secondary career as a lacrosse renaissance man.
Jimmy was involved at every level of lacrosse officiating over a 35 year career, from youth to international. He was inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1998. He joined the ranks of Ireland Lacrosse in 2002, and served as Ireland’s head official in the 2002 World Championships in Perth, Australia. Jimmy was a founding member of the Irish Lacrosse Foundation, an organization that works to promote lacrosse in Ireland. He served as the ILF Treasurer until his death. He was instrumental in the revival of the modern Irish Women’s National Team, and acted as the spiritual leader of the Irish Women’s program for many years. His tireless dedication was recognized by the international community when he was given the “Spirit of Lacrosse” Award at the 2013 World Cup.
Take a look at my YouTube video to learn more about the Shillelagh, it really is an unusual lacrosse stick and has been a great talking piece in the store recently with visiting customers.