John W. Hurley was born in Newark, NJ to an Irish immigrant father and American born mother. He is the author of "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting," "Shillelagh: The Irish Fighting Stick," "The Shillelagh Makers Handbook" and "Fighting Irish: The Art Of Irish Stick-Fighting." Hurley is considered the world's foremost authority on the history, traditions and culture of traditional Irish martial arts, having researched the subject for over twenty five years. He is also a practitioner of Irish stick/shillelagh-fighting. Hurley is a regular consultant to the media on the subject of Irish stick-fighting and martial arts. For queries he can be reached at: info@johnwhurley.com