School: Loughmoe (B.), An Teampoll Mór (roll number 7694)

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1. The Local Forge

   

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   The Local Forge
   There are two forges in Loughmore. There is one in the village and another Killaham a couple of miles away. Patrick Cordial owns the forge in the village, and Thomas Murphy owns the one in Killehane. I was often in the village forge but I was never in the other forge. The implements a smith uses are a hammer, a sledge, a pincers, a thongs, a bellows, a rasp and a knife. He uses the hammer for driving nails, the sledge for breaking the iron and a lighter sledge for turning the shoes. He uses the pincers for pulling off the old shoes, and the thong for catching the hot iron. He works the bellows for blowing the fire. The bellows is a big canvas bag. There is a little chain out of the bag joined to a long pole which is used as a hanle. There is a pipe going from the bag under the fire to take the wind into the fire. The rasp is used for levelling the hoof, and the knife is used for pairing the hoof. The smith is looked upon as a very strong man. He makes ploughs for ploughing beet, and he also makes harrows. He does all the work inside except binding wheels. When he is binding wheels, he burns turf, saw-dust, and slack coal. He keeps water in forge for cooling the iron. There is a cure for warts and for a "start" in a cow's udder in forge-water. The principal work of a smith is:- mending ploughs, harrows, grubs, hoes, and mowing machines, he also shoes horses and asses. The

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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

   Michael Mc Grath

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Castlequarter, Co. Tipperary