School: Star of the Sea, Glengivney (roll number 12334)

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1. The Local Forge (continued)

   

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   fourteen wide. The roof is of corrugated iron and the door is about six feet high and three feet wide. The bellows are situated in one of the corners of the forge beside the hearth which is built to a height of three feet above the floor. The bellows is made of leather, and was made in Derry. The anvil is a large iron stand placed near the fire, so that the smith's irons will not become cold before he reaches it. It is bound to a wooden block.
   The smiths implements include hammers, sledge hammer, pincers, tongs, vices, punches, wrenches, rasps, knives, drilling machines, punches, chisels, horse-shoe knives etc.
   The smith in Carrowmena makes the following things, ploughs, drill ploughs, grubbers, iron harrows, picks, chisels, and punches, hangs scythes, makes cranes and makes crooks for hanging pots and pans and pot-hooks and grates, shoes of horses and donkeys (he used to make his own nails and pig rings for to prevent pigs from tearing the land). He makes all cart irons, shoes cart-wheels and car-wheels and barrow-wheels, repairs and makes gates makes cart axles, puts feet in pots and handles on kettles. In general he does all kinds of work with iron.
   The smith does not make spades or shovels now but I am told that he used to. He still repairs them. He makes pikes for forking turf. He still makes axes for cutting trees and fur roots.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)
            1. smithing (~2,389)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kathleen Mc Henry

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Glennagiveny, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   B. Mc Henry

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Address

   Glennagiveny, Co. Donegal