School: Baile an Gharrdha (B.) (roll number 2909)

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1. The Local Forge

   

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   The forge is a great place at night for a great many people to gather and all the news of the day is heard there. There are two smiths in Ballingarry one for shoeing wheels and for repairing farm implements such as mending ploughs and harrows and mowing machines.
   A fire is made foe shoeing wheels in the open air and there is a stream near the fire to cool the red irons. There is a fire in the forge for repairing the farm implements. The man that owns that forge is Joseph Shea and his father and grandfather were smiths.
   There is another smith who shoes horses and donkeys. The implements used for shoeing horses and donkeys are a knife and a hammer a rasp a pincers a sledge an anvil. The box where the small implements are kept is called the tool box. There is a heavy hammer used for cutting the iron and there is a light hammer for making the shoes and there is a hammer for making clips on the shoes. The Fennells came first from Rathkeale where they had been for many generations and three generations of them have been farriers in Ballingarry. When my grandfather was living in Rathkeale the priests always called for him when they would be going on a

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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

   James Fennell

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballingarry, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Fred Massey

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   68

   Address

   Ballingarry, Co. Limerick