Story: WHO WAS THE STRANGEROne day a gentleman, riding a horse, came to a forge, and asked the smith to make a shoe for the horse. The smith made the shoe and was about to put it on when the gentleman said, “Give it to me”. The smith gave him the shoe. He looked at it, and broke it in two. The smith was surprised. The gentleman said that the shoe was no good., and asked the smith to make another. The smith made another shoe much stronger than the first. The gentleman handled it, and again broke it in two.. The smith made a third shoe and the gentleman said to put it on, that it would do for a while. The gentleman gave the smith a five shilling piece for the shoe, but the smith broke it in two between his fingers and said you have bad money.. The gentleman gave him a half sovereign and again the smith broke it between his fingers. Then he gave him a sovereign. The smith put it in his pocket and the gentleman rode away. Not long after that the gentleman was passing by, and stopped at the smith’s forge. He asked the smith for a spark to light his pipe.. The smith went in, got the spark from the fire, placed it on the anvil and handed the anvil to the gentleman. The gentleman took the anvil, tilted it and rolled the spark into his pipe.

that his hands were fastened to the sledge and if he would let him go he'd make him rich for seven years more. The smith released him and he fell rich. The devil come a third time and the smith was ready. As the were going along the road they met a publican and the smith said he would like a drink and the said he would too. "I often heard said the smith that you could convert yourself into a lump of money" "I can" said the 'smith' devil and turned into gold the smith took the gold and gave some to the publican who gave him some drinks. After that the smith put the money into his purse. As he was returning home, some men were thrashing oats. The smith told the thrashing men to thrash his purse. At last the devil began to roar and promised to make him rich for seven years the smith released him

So the young man persuaded the smith to let on he was a doctor. They went to the sick man's house and were brought to his room. The young man ordered up a big pot of boiling water and he cut off the sick man's head and threw it into it. He gave it a few stirs in the pot and up came a grand young man's head to the top of the water.The young man lifted it up and clapped it on to the old man's body and immediately the sick man rose up cured and shook hands with the supposed doctor. The man gave a great dinner to all his friends and he made the tow stay for the night. So they left in the morning and that day they heard of a smith in Dublin who offered £250 to anyone who could prove he was a better smithy than he was. So the young man persuaded the old smith to try for it. They went to the Dublin smith and the first thing the Dublin smith did was to blow the bellows and a field of wheat sprang up, and then the old smith blew the bellow and a flock of pigeons appeared and ate the wheat. Then the Dublin smith blew his bellows again and a salmon leaped out in the stream in front of the forge and the old smith blew the bellows and an otter appeared and went after the salmon and brought his back. He got £250. They journeyed on again. The young man asked the old smith for the price of a pair of boots as hes were bad. The old smith said he had no change handy but that he's gibe it when he had.They came to a heap of stones and lay down and fell asleep.

There are three forges in this parish. The Smiths are, Hugh O'Reilly, Thomas Smith and Terence Smith. Thomas Smith's and Terence Smith's people have been in the trade for generations. Hugh O'Reilly's forge is situated along the Grellage Road, Thomas smith's along the Bailieboro Road and Terence Smith's along the Dublin Road. Hugh O'Reilly's along the Grellagh Road. It is roofed with iron. It has a double door. There is one fireplace within. The bellows is at the back of the fire. There is a long handle on the top which the Smith pulls up and down to blow the fire to the irons. In the forge there are hammers, pincers, sledges and a vice and an anvil. The Smith shoes horses and asses and mend ploughs and other farm implements. The principle work in the forge is shoeing horses

smith's name. There are two in Creeslough, the smith's names are Barney McGinley, and Dan Baird. There is one fire in every forge. The bellows the smith uses are very large. The smith's tools are, a hammer, a small sledge, a rasp, nippers, a chisel. The smith shoes horses and donkeys. He makes ploughs and grubbers, picks, axes, gates, harrow-pins, the smith also repairs and mends different things.

Most kinds of iron are done by the country black-smith. Spades are not made by the black-smith at the present day but not long ago the smith made all the spades. The ordinary smith does not make a plough but he can repair it and make parts of it that are broken. At the present day the smith makes iron gates, for entrance to fields, and boreens and yards. Cranes for open hearth fires are also made by the smith. The chief work of the smith nowadays is shoeing horses. The required iron and nails are got by

There are four smiths in this parish. There is a smith in Doonbeg and his name is Michael McGrath. The implements a smith uses are a bellows, a vice, an anvil, a rasp, a hammer, a sledge, and a pincers.Most of the forges are slated. A few are thatched. There is a smith in Glascloune, one in Baltard, and a smith in Bealaha. There was a smith in Monmore across from the Church and it was owned by a smith named James Taylor. The smith makes farm implements namely, tongs, ploughs, and gates. He shoes wheels in the open air.

Then they heard about a smith in Derry and no one could beat him in any smith work, so the smith thought that he should go. The wee man said that they would sit down to have a smoke. They were not long sitting until the smith fell fast asleep, and when he wakened they were in Derry, and they looked around to see where the Derry smith lived.
They went into his forge and asked if he was the man that could beat anyone in any smith work and the man in the forge said he was, and anyone that would win would get £500. Then they drew lots to see on which one would the trick fall, so it fell on the Derry man.
The Derry man went up and began to blow the bellows, and out of the fire ran some grains of wheat. The other smith went up and blew the bellows and out ran pigeons and ate up the wheat. Then the Derry man blew again and out ran a trout. Then the other smith blew then and out ran an otter and ate up the trout.
The Derry man said that he was beaten, and he gave the smith £500, so the two left and did not go very far until the two fell asleep, and when they looked around were on the top of a big hill, and the wee man asked him did he know where he was, and the smith said he did not know where

smith's forge. The smith was making a set of shoes for a man and he told the devil he would make them before he would go so he told the devil to hold the sledge and as soon as he caught hold of it then he could not let it go and the devil said to the smith if you free me this time I will let you go for another year and a day so the devil went away and after another year and day the devil came back again to smith the smith was this time

There is one forge in the district and Mr Dooley is the smith, he is a smith for many years and his father was also a smith. His forge is near a cross roads and it is beside the road it is not near a stream. It has a timber roof. There is one fireplace in his forge. Bellows were not made locally. The smith uses a hammer, anvil, iron, and nails. The smith shoes asses and horses but he does not shoe cattle. There is some of the forge work done in the open air as shoeing wheels. The smith had no privilages at any time. People did not send gifts to the smith. The smith was always looked upon as been very strong. There are no traditions or stories connected with the local forges. Mr Dooleys house is a centries for a story telling. The forge has two windows and a door it is a circular double door and the windows are square in one at the back and

the smith and the smith beat him. When the farmer saw him alive in the morning he was so surprised that he gave him £10 which he sent home to his children. He slept all day until night came and he went on the second night and the same thing happened they fought and the smith won. Ten more pound to send home so the smith went to his night duty as usual and this was his third night. Out in the night a ghost appeared to him, and he put a groad grin on his face and started his fight with the smith as usual, but this night he got the best
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of the fight, but when he had the smith nearly worn out he said "I won't do any more to you you are the man that played the game with me on top of the mountain a couple of nights ago, against the two others. We were playing that time for two pots of gold, and when you helped me to win the game, I won the gold". He then gave one of the pots of gold to the smith and the other to the man of the castle. So the smith went home with plenty of money although he left home poor.

There are six forges in my parish. There are some forges situated at cross-roads and others at streams. All blacks-smith's doors are half doors. There is only one fire in every black-smith's forge. The bellows that the black-smith has are made with wood and leather. The blacksmiths make gates and shoes for horses and bands for wheels. The black-smith has a hammer file a knife and tongs. The black-smith's put bands on wheels outside in the open air. The bellows for blowing the fire are very big. The black-smith makes socks of ploughs and other things. The smiths could cure sores on horses and lampers in horses. The water which the black-smith cools the irons is supposed to take away warts from your hand and legs. The black-smith uses the tongs for taking the red irons out of the fire. There is also a big tank of water in the forges. The black-smiths were very good men and great friends of the kings long ago.

take this sledge out of my hand". "All right" said the smith "off you go Then after seven years he called for the smith and the smith said "All right I will go with you but come on and we will have our dinner first. Then he told him to sit down on the arm chair and when he sat down he could not eat nor he could not stir nor he could not stand up. And the man said to the smith "What are you going to do with me now. Then the smith said "Stay where you are. Then the man said "If you will let me go out of this I will not call for you until seven years more" and the smith said "All right you can go so the man went away. After seven years the man came back again for the smith and said to him "You will have to come with me now for I wont sit in your chair nor handle your sledge. "All right" said the smith "I will go with you and so off they went together. The(y)n they came to

There are three forges in the parish. The smiths are, Hugh OReilly, Thomas Smith and Terence Smith. Thomas Smith's and Terence Smith's people have been in the trade for generations. Hugh OReilly's forge is situated along the Grellagh Road, Thomas Smith's along the Bailieboro' Road, and Terence Smith's along the Dublin Road. Hugh OReilly's forge is beside where I live. It is roofed with iron. It has a double door. There is one fireplace within. The bellows are at the back of the fire. There is a long handle on the top which the smith pulls up and down to "blow" the fire to the irons. In the forge there are hammers, pincers, sledges, a vice and an anvil. The smith shoes horses and asses and mends ploughs and other farm implements. The principle work done in the forge is shoeing horses. Wheels of carts are "shod" outside as the iron has to be heated with turf. People often give the blacksmith gifts.

"The Crockan Rue" owned by Owen Smith Lishenry. "The cnoc an Torann" owned by James Rielly Lackanduff. "The sandpit field" owned by Owen Smith Lishenry. "The Black Field" owned by Mrs P Kimmins Lishenry. "The Boreen" owned by James Smith Lackanduff. "The Cnóc More" owned by Philip Lynch Lackanduff. "The Bog Field" owned by Francis Boylan Pottle. "The Cnóc an lios" owned by Peter Kimmins Pottle. "The Alts owned by Conn Smith Lackanduff. "The Sragh" owned by Mrs P Lynch Lackanduff. "The Rock Field" owned by Francis Dowd Lackanclare. "The Meadow" owned by Philip Lynch, Lackanduff. "The Five Acre" owned by Walter Byers Derrylahan. "The Cnóc an Tobar" owned by Syl Kimmins Lishenry. "The Fort Field" owned by Thomas Smith Lismeen. "The Old Garden" owned by Mrs P Kimmins Lishenry. "The Three Acre" owned by Thomas Smith Lishenry. "The Rushy Field owned by Mick Smith Lackanclare. "The Lime kiln Field" owned by Mick Smith Lackanclare. "The Doctors

The makings of the bellows are bought and then some man makes it. The names of the smith's tools are , the anvil, hammer, vice, tongs, rasp and the screw wrench. The smith shoes horses, asses and mules. The smith makes farm tools also. He always shoes wheels in the open air. The water which the smith cools the iron with is black and it is said that it is a cure for warts. There is nothing remarkable about the sparks which fly from the red iron. The smith has no powers but it is said that he has a secret. The smith is always regarded as very strong. There is no tradition or story about this forge. When people want to see each other, they usually meet at the forge.

pigons and throw some corn on the floor for us to pick but he said I will pick no corn atall and I will put a feather standing on my back as a signal for you to pick me out when the were all picking the corn the father selected the bird with the feather standing on his back and the black-smith said bless you and curse the man that instructed you The father and son set off home the son changed himself into a horse and handed the bridle to his father now he said the black-smith will come again dressed like a gentleman he will give you what ever price you demand for the horse but be careful when you sell the horse not to sell the bridle. The black-smith took the horse with him when he went so far from the father the horse turned wicked and kicked the black-smith and returned to (the black-smith) his father. When he came back he told his father that he had not yet finished with the black-smith that he would come again before them. I will change myself

he didn't care about the fairies, and that if he got a black-smith to make a special blade for him he'd cut the grass in nine "Swarths". The people told him there was a blacksmith living near, and that he was the best blade maker in the country. So McDonagh went to the smith and asked him could he make a blade that would "cut wool floating on a stream." The smith said he'd try so he made a very sharp blade. McDonagh pulled some wool off a sheep and threw it on a stream, but the blade only pushed it to one side. The smith made a second blade, and it caught the wool but did not cut it. The third blade the smith cut the wool, so McDonagh said that it would do. He then got the smith to make nine harrow pins, each pin to be made in one heat."When the pins were made McDonagh whetted his scythe and started

man. Then the second wish he wished for was that anyone that would sit on his arm-chair could not stand up until he would tell them. The third wish that he wished for was any(one) money that would be in his purse nobody to take it out until he would take it out himself. "All right" said the man walking out the door "You never wished for heaven". So the smith worked on for some time and he got very poor. Another day he was in his forge and a man came in to him and he told the smith, "If you come with me I will give you a lot of money "All right" said the smith "take this sledge in your hand until I will finish this job." So the man took the sledge and he could not leave it out of his hand. Then he said to the smith, "What am I to do with this and the smith told him to keep it. And he said to the smith "I will call for you at the end of seven years if you will

three stirs, and take it out and put it on the king again.
All the doctors went out of the room, and the smith went in and did as he was told, and the king jumped up in the bed and was well again, so the smith got the gold, and a horse to carry it away.
He met the little man again, and he asked the smith to give him some money, that he wanted to buy a pair of shoes, so the smith said he would not give him any for it was himself that cured the king. They said that they would sit down to rest before they would go any further, so they sat down and the smith began to sleep and when he wakened on they went a little further, and they heard about the king of France being sick also. So the little man said to the smith, you can cure him and you will get £500, and the two fell asleep and when they wakened they were in France.
The wee man left the smith, and the smith went into the room and everyone left the room. The smith cut the head off the king, and put it into a pot of boiling water, but the head melted in the pot and he said "I shall be hanged now", and at that the wee man appeared to him, and the wee man put the head on the king again and he was as well as he had been before. They got £500 and they divided it between the two, and as they left the palace.