Local Forges

There are not many forges in my parish. But there are four that I know. One of them is situated in Rustygath and is is owned by Daniel Curran. There is another situated in Ballykilty and it is owned by Christopher Neill. There are two more of them situated in Arklow. One of them is owned by Patrick Kavanagh and the other is owned by Jimmie Hempenstall. In these forges, horses, asses, mares, mules are shod. They also make wheels for cars and gates and they make a lot of articles out of iron in the forges, such as ploughs, and harrows and rakes. All forges are made of wood. They are all black from the coal. At one side of the forge there is a big bellows for blowing the fire. In another corner there are heaps of horse shoes and ass shoes and old pieces of iron. In the centre of the floor the anvil is placed. This is what they beat the iron