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School: Baile Theas (B.), Malla (roll number 4953)

Location:
Ballyhass, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Tadhg Ó Hanluain
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0364, Page 348

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0364, Page 348

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  1. XML School: Baile Theas (B.), Malla
  2. XML Page 348
  3. XML “Local Forges”

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  1. Local Forges

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    There are three forges in the parish of Castlemagner namely, one at Ballygibben belonging to Eugene Finn, one at Roakeen belonging to Jack Dwyer and one at Castlemagner belonging to Niall O'Leary. A forge is used for shoeing horses, ponies, donkeys and for mending machinery and farm implements.
    The door of the forge is very large so as to make it easy for the animals to pass in and out and it has a slate roof because sometimes sparks fly from the irons and they would burn down the roof if it were thatched
    The implements that a blacksmith uses are the anvil, a pincers, a hammer, a [?] He does most of his work on a small iron known as the anvil In the forge there is a trough of water cut out of stone into which the smith puts the shoes when he makes them. The smith is supposed to be able to cure several diseases with the water that is used in the forge. There are two pairs of bellows in the forge and they are on two corners and there is a long handle out of them and you should press this handle down to light the fire. The smith always keeps a big open fire burning in the forge to redden the irons.
    This is the reason that there is no forge in Cullen. Long ago a very holy woman by the name of Lattierna lived at Cullen. Each morning she had to go to the forge to gather some red coals to light the fire. One morning she took the coals home in her apron and the smith admired her beautiful feet. She felt proud and on looking down she beheld her apron on fire. She cursed the forge and she said that a forge would never be built in Cullen and a forge can never be built there since. There was one man in this district who was the seventh son of a blacksmith and six generations before him had been 'smiths'. He could cure ringworm and a disease
    (continues on next page)
    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
    Informant
    Mr Thady Connors
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Coolawaleen, Co. Cork