R.I.P. Shifu Wally Dillon

Niall Keane

On a summers day back in the late-noughties I strolled into Donneycarney Community Centre on the basis of a published invitation in the paper calling on all those Kung Fu coaches interested in sanshou / sanda to meet. Being wary of the shenanigans typical in the jianghu world I brought two deputies along, Dec Gernon and Karl Kidd; both international sanda champs. You can never be too careful in the world of truth and lies, where many confuse reality and fantasy just like that Han fellow, who as Jim Kelly stated came “right out of a comic book”.

As it happened the precautions were needless, instead of a “Mr. Han man” character seeking world domination through corruption, I first met the true legend of a man that was Wally Dillon, as versed in respect and diplomacy as he was in Gung Fu. We were welcomed as equals, and I recognised the real chance for Irish Gung Fu schools to finally grow up and work together to the benefit of all. This perception was in no small part due to this personality before me who engendered an atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation and possibility.

So at first, I met, and was impressed by Wally's gung fu of diplomacy. In the early days this Irish Chinese Boxing Association (ICBA) met and grew informally, commitment was slow, mistrust rife, but by 7th of March 2009 we had adopted a formal structure, a constitution, and the Executive was formed. Wally's ability to “carry people along”, which must have been quite tiresome for him at times, at many, many, times, made him the obvious choice, who else had that x-factor to hold a band of individualist-warriors together? and so we voted him to be our president.

He seemed to have a knowledge of everyone in the Irish Jianghu community, later he would tell me and fellow Executive members of the development of Gung Fu in Ireland, and indeed of all oriental martial arts, from 1950's Judo. See, he had been there, a pillar of the community since its inception. At that time I was to a large extent unaware of the Irish Gung Fu scene, as no national competitions existed. I and my students had fought throughout Europe and Asia, but never in Ireland, we had considered ourselves alone at that time. Sure we had heard of one or two other schools competing in the UK from time to time, but there was no consistency, how could there be without a national platform on which to develop? I could see the value in Irish athletes honing their skills at home to become ready for and not fed to the lions abroad! (My School had to use UK comps as a stepping stone, and felt somewhat hindered when a students development always required flights and accommodation even at the most basic of amateur levels.) And this was the dream of the ICBA, to pool the expertise, experience and strengths of Ireland's coaches to benefit the future generations. To create a national platform for the Irish Gung Fu community, a platform concerned solely with the promotion and growth of Gung Fu / Wushu. This was Wally's dream, to lift Irish Wushu / Gung Fu out of its insular, parochial mentality and offer it the chance to thrive in the area of modern Chinese Combat Sports. He travelled the country coaching willing coaches with fight experienced gyms the format of sanda, and encouraged those coaches without such experience to step up and try.

Wally's vision: that Gung Fu was a practical martial art, and that the ICBA should be combat-focused in keeping with the real traditions, echoed my own philosophy, and so we inevitably became good friends. We shared many stories on our respective martial backgrounds, and the traditional culture and experiences of Gung Fu disciples in the inner Jianghu world, a world full of “adventure” to put it mildly, sadly a disappearing world for sure... One less hero now!

Unlike his students, I only caught glimpses of his gung fu ability, as he coached ICBA athletes or demonstrated skill. One could only have admiration for a man in his 70's leading combat-sport athletes through conditioning exercises at ease, while many of them struggled! But that wasn't the half of it... He had a deep, deep understanding, a philosophy about his fighting art. I witnessed him explain the hidden tactics behind details to his students, and in a way that they could “get it” and replicate it! Reading the many accounts of his grieving students, one really grasps how gifted a coach he was.

As such he wasn't an “ordinary” Shifu / master – a bureaucratic belt-holder - so pervasive in the martial arts world today. No he was a true artist! The poet T.S. Elliot once spoke about the “objective correlative”, where the poet uses style and imagery to engender a specific emotion in the reader. Sun Tzu tells us that “the art of war is the art of deception”. Well, Wally was one of those very rare martial artists who fully understood how his art was to be used to deceive his opponents and engender their demise. Of all his many Gung Fu strengths, perhaps his intelligence in this area impressed me the most. We often discussed and debated such skills and tactics. In keeping with traditional gung fu, he would always have a legendary tale to tell, ancient or modern, to convey the idea. We swapped many such tales over tea. He was indeed a man of culture!

One cannot talk of Shifu Wally Dillon without mentioning the contributions he made not only to the martial arts community but also indeed to the broader community. Every time I witness parents and children, from neighbourhoods in common who have become friends through mutual participation in ICBA competition, from athlete to organiser I see his legacy. I see it in the team ethos of his Li Ching Wu School! I see it in the powerfully written eulogies by his family and many many students. They speak of “purpose”, “impact” and “life-changing” effects when they consider Wally! What a contribution!!!

My deepest sympathy extends to his family, his friends and his students! We have lost a truly great man, a man who has positively impacted upon us all, may his memory continue to inspire!


Niall Keane – ICBA Executive Officer

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I went training in the Daigokan in Donneycarney on Tuesday night and met a very sad head coach, John Douglas.

Without another word John tells me ''One of my best pals died" ~ then told me all about Wally and how he and John started training together over 50 years ago and how he was one of the first Judoka in the country and had started The Daigokan with John all those years ago.

There was also a few of the older gentlemen there just for a chat, men who'd laid the path many of us are taking now.

I've never met Shifu Wally Dillon, but it was a pleasure to hear all about him from John.

May be rest in peace.