School: Altóir, Tuar Mór, An Sciobairín (roll number 12071)

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1. Forges (continued)

   

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   to beat out the iron when it is hot; the tongs are used to hold the iron and to take it out of the fire ; the shoeing hammer is used for driving the nails into the hoof ; the knife is used for paving the hoof before the shoe is put on ; the pincers are for drawing nails if they go wrong ; and last of all he used the rasp for filing the hoof when the shoe is on.
   The Smith has a big wooden box in which he holds all his implements, and he also has a barrel for holding water to cool the hot iron. There is a local belief about this water as to its curative qualities. It is said if you had warts on your hands and if you washed them in this water that it would cure them. The smith's outside work is shoeing wheels of carts & traps ; for this branch of his work he makes a big fire of turf on the ground and places a wheel in the middle of it. Then he hammers on the band while another man holds the wheel, and when the band is firmly fixed on to the wheel, he then throws on water to cool it. He also makes gates, ploughs and pieces of harrows, outside.
   The Smith has very strong sinewy hands from all the exercise and hammering he does every day.

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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

   Nellie Allen

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Boulysallagh, Co. Cork