School: Crowenstown
- Location:
- Crowinstown Little, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: M. Ní Bhriain
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0724, Page 272
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- XML School: Crowenstown
- XML Page 272
- XML “The Local Forge”
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- (continued from previous page)when he wants to make a piece of iron red, the bellows was not made locally.
The smith uses hammers, chisels, rasps, files, knives, a sledge, and of course the anvil and tongs.
He shoes horses and asses, but he does not shoe cattle. He does not make ploughs, harrows, spades, shovels, pikes or awes, but he would mend them if they were broken.
He gets a piece of iron, and puts it in the fire to heat. When it is read enough he lifts it out with the tongs, to the anvil, and beats it into shape with the sledge.
He cools it in cold water.
Some of the forge work is done in the open air, such as the shoeing of wheels. It is done in the smith’s yard.
It is believed locally that forge water cures warts, if you bathe them in it. There is no saying about the sparks that fly from the red iron.
The local smiths had no special privileges at any time. The people sent them loads of turf as gifts to help to shoe the wheels of carts. They had no special power to banish rats etc... They were always looked upon as being very strong.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Lizzie Heffernan
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 14
- Address
- Delvin, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- John Heffernan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Delvin, Co. Westmeath
