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The Making of Spades
Long ago smiths made spades Michael (Mickie) Minogue was a great spade maker.Minogues were great smiths and are smiths for at least five generations.They made them of iron called spade-iron and of old spades.They put temper in them with water and sledging. When the spade was made they would leave it on the anvil and sprinkle it with water, then they would sledge it.They also made sleagháns or turf spades These black smiths lived in Gortvrulla,Feakle Martin Minogue a black smith lives there still.he has three brothers black smiths .One has a forge in Scarriff ,one has a forge in Kilclarn ,Feakle, and the other has a forge in Galway.