School: Ballinakill (B.) (roll number 895)
- Location:
- Ballinakill, Co. Laois
- Teacher: William Hande
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0831, Page 011
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- XML School: Ballinakill (B.)
- XML Page 011
- XML “Nail Making”
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- (continued from previous page)Nail making was a flourishing industry in Ireland long ago. But nowadays nails are produced in factories where many men are employed. There were three nailers in Ballinakill in the last century. Their names were James Fox, Andrew Dunne, and Patrick Brennan. Those men earned their living by making nails, which they sold to the people of Ballinakill, and in Abbeyleix where they took supplies every week.
The old method of nail making was very slow as there were only three nails produced in every heat. The nails they made were mostly for boots, and it was ones suitable for nailing boots that were mostly produced. Any person that wanted to serve his time to nail making had to pay twenty pounds fee and give seven years' service. Andrew Sunne worked at the trade in Graveyard, and the house that he worked in has fallen since. A daughter of Patrick Brennan has the tools he worked with. The forge in which James Fox worked in is still to be seen, and some of his tools.
- Collector
- James L. Fitzpatrick
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballinakill, Co. Laois
- Informant
- Agnes Brennan
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ballinakill, Co. Laois
