School: Baile na Mín (roll number 14925)

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1. The Local Forge (continued)

   

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   of the bellows at the fire level as already mentioned.
   This arrangement permits the smith to work the bellow lever with his left hand, while attending to the iron in the fire with his right.
   The principal implement used by the local blacksmiths are :-- Shoeing hammers, used in shoeing horses, donkeys, etc. Set hammers used for leveling iron ; Rasps and files; Shoeing knives ; Punches, cold chisels, anvil, poker, tongs, vice, pincers, pliers, bellows, sledge hammer etc. The Traveller is a wheel-like implement used for measuring tyre-iron in "shoeing" wheels.
   The smith shoes horses, asses, gennets and mules. He also dresses the hooves of cows and other cattle occasionally for the surrounding farmer folk. He sometimes makes farm implements such as harrows, ploughs, loys, shovels, picks, axes, hammers, gates, grates, grid-irons or "cranes", tongs, and many other articles of iron.
   Wheels are always shod in the open air, and the smith has usually an old mill stone or "Quern" for an old disused or local mill set up beside a pond of water to facilitate him in this particular branch of his business.
   One of the local smiths, Tom Roche, makes

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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 Tansey

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Sheeane, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Mr J.J. Brennan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   55

   Address

   Knockglass, Co. Roscommon