Sam Hartman reveals how a shillelagh will be part of new Notre Dame tradition after Dublin victory

Sam Hartman put together a Notre Dame debut for the ages on Saturday, leading the Fighting Irish to a victory over Navy in Dublin, Ireland. After the game, though, he held something in his hand as he went through his postgame interview with NBC’s Zora Stephenson.

It turns out, it’s part of a new tradition the Irish are starting.

Hartman had a shillelagh in his left hand as he talked about his 266-yard, four-touchdown performance to lead Notre Dame to the 42-3 victory over Navy. A shillelagh is commonly used as a walking stick in Ireland, but can also be used as a weapon.

Although Hartman said it won’t be a weapon with the Fighting Irish, it was a gift from someone during their trip to Dublin this week. Now, the shillelagh is going to be a key part of the program moving forward as one member of Notre Dame’s scout team gets honored each week.

“We got a shillelagh gifted to us. … One of the people of Dublin gave it to us, so we’re going to carry it out,” Hartman said. “It’s kind of our new tradition we’re going to start with this team. Each year, we’re going to get a new one. It’s an exciting tradition. Our scout team player of the week will carry it throughout every game. Every home game, every away game. But I have it.

“It’s used for a weapon, but I won’t be using it. It just looks cool right now.”

Saturday marked the third time Notre Dame and Navy faced off in Ireland, and it was all Irish. Hartman put put up monster numbers in his first game after transferring from Wake Forest, totaling 266 passing yards and four touchdowns, which tied a program record for a debut.

Hartman looked poised under center, carving up the Midshipmen defense and making plays Notre Dame fans haven’t seen some time — if ever. It’s all a credit to his teammates, though. He said they brought him in with open arms and helped him become one of its leaders.

The people of Dublin also seemed to like Notre Dame, too, and that helped.

“I think it starts with really Dublin, Ireland welcoming us like they have,” Hartman said. “Look at all these people. It’s an incredible atmosphere. Incredible stadium, incredible event. And then, the coaches. They prepared us all week. We’ve been preparing since the spring for this game. We knew we had a really tough challenge ahead.

“And then, it’s the team. From day one [when] I showed up in January, they accepted me, they appreciated me coming. We went out and executed the right plan, made our plays work and did what we did.”

Now, Hartman and the Fighting Irish will embark on the long flight home to South Bend to get ready for next week’s game against Tennessee State.