School: Drom an Mhadaidh
- Location:
- Drumavaddy, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: S. Ó Murchadha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0990, Page 018
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- XML “The Forge”
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- The Forge
There are two forges in this district, one in Carrickaboy beside Denn Cross and the other in Creamfield beside the road. The one in Carrickaboy is owned by Tom Lynch, and the other by Francis Smith. Tom Lynch's grandfather (Lawrence Lynch) was the first to have the blacksmith trade. We go to Tom Lynch’s forge to get our horse shod. The Forge is a large stonewall building with a thatched roof, and an earthen floor. His bench is about two yards long, four feet high and one yard in breadth. Beside his bench there is a large block of wood on which the “anvil” sits. The “anvil” is a large block of iron on which the blacksmith hammers the iron into shape. On his bench is the “trough” of water. On the other side of the bench is a “bellows” with a long handle which the blacksmith moves up and down so as to blow the fire. He fixes gates, forks, grapes, ploughs, harrows, pots, pans and wheels of carts. When a person has to get a wheel shod he has to bring the smith a loaf of turf. There is a cement ring outside in the garden where the smith shoes wheels. The smith builds the turf round the shoeing and lights them. When the shoeing his hot he puts the wheel on the cement and hammers the shoeing down on the wheel. Then he throws water on the wheel to cool the shoeing. Long ago the smith was said to be the strongest man in the district.
