School: Killurine

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1. The Forge

   

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   The Forge
   I do not know how many forges there are in the parish but there are two near the school. One is in Killurin and the other is in Gurteen. Lynams own Killurin forge and at least 3 generations of the family have been smiths there. Mr McDonald owns the forge in Gurteen. The Killurin forge is near a cross road and Gurteen forge has a river running right behind it. Both forges are rectangular in shape and are very much blackened by smoke. Felt on canvas roof are on them. Both forges here have ordinary doors rectangular in shape. An old forge, which is now a shop at Gurteen Bridge has a door shaped like a horseshoe. The fire place is on a large hob raised about 1 yard over the floor. It opens like a melodeon. When you pull down a large wooden handle the upper part of the bellows is pulled up, in the air comes through a hole on the underside. When you let the handle go free the bellows closes and the air is unable to go out in the same hole because a little piece of wood or leather covers it on the inside. The air is then forced through the pipe of the bellows into the fire. Here are some implements the smith uses in his work:- sledges, hammers, pinners, bellows, anvil, saws, punches, hack-saws, files, rasps, drills, new iron, trough or dipper, tongs, coal shovel and vices. The smiths here only shoe horses and asses, and repair machinery and bend car wheels. One of them is a carpenter as well as a smith and he makes harrows with wooden frame. Sometimes he makes turf barrows. He binds wheels in the open air.

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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

   John Coyne

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballinvally, Co. Offaly