School: Ballyvongane (Measctha)
- Location:
- Ballyvongane, Co. Cork
- Teacher: D. Ó Céilleachair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0343, Page 060
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- XML School: Ballyvongane (Measctha)
- XML Page 060
- XML “The Local Forge”
- XML “Local Burnings”
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- (continued from previous page)Aghinagh. It is owned by Micheal McCarthy. His people have been smiths for several years. The forge is built near a cross-roads within a few yards of the Glasagorrive river.
It is a rectangular building with a felt roof. There is a fire kept burning within. At one end of the house the floor is raised about two feet from the ground and on this the fire is made.
The smith when working uses hammers, sledges, rasps, wrenches, anvils, punches, vices, and pairing knifes.
He shoes horses, jennets, ponies, and asses but never cattle. Long ago he used to make farm implements but not now. He still repairs them.
Out in the open air the smith puts bands on wheels. This is called 'ironing' or 'banding' the wheels. Sometimes horses are shod outside the forge-door.
If the smith made a small ring in the dust on the road, with a stick, and put a snail into it, the snail would wither away.
The forge is usually a centre for news and story-telling because many people come there with horses to be shod or with different kinds of articles to be mended.
- A timber shed full of hay belonging to Captain Woodley was maliciously burned to the ground(continues on next page)
