Killowen forge was located about 60 metres above the water-tower on the left-hand side of the road, in the townland of Killowen, approximately 1½ miles north-west of Blarney village. Killowen forge was one of many in the locality. The forge was originally owned by Hannah Murphy’s family, who also had a huxter’s shop in the locality. Edmund Murphy, who was better known as “Ned the Smith” (N.T.S.) came to work in the forge in 1882. He hailed from Ballydaheen in Mallow and was the son of William Murphy who was also a blacksmith and noted Fenian. Edmund subsequently married Hannah in 1883 and they together had seventeen children, of whom twelve survived. (William, John, Maurice, Joe, Tom, Neddy, Christy, Lena, Polly, Mariah, Cathy and Rita.) Eventually all seven sons worked in the forge with Ned.
While forges may have differed in size, nearly all had the same requirements. The essential elements were a sufficient stock of iron, a plentiful fuel supply, usually coal and slack, for maintaining a fire over the course of a working day and the anvil, on which the blacksmith worked and shaped the various pieces of iron. The long-handled bellows was used to bring the fire up to a temperature sufficient for reddening the iron to a working consistency. Suttons Coal Merchants supplied the coal and slack used in the forge at Killowen. Iron was supplied by Robert Scott & Co, Patrick’s Quay, Cork and also from Cork Iron and Hardware, North Main Street, Cork. A blacksmith’s usual attire was an apron made of leather or canvas, heavy boots, cap, shirt and trousers. A variety of tools were used. Hammers and sledges of various sizes were used for forging and shaping metal although most smiths favoured a heavy short-handled sledge. The blacksmith was a unique craftsman in that he manufactured his own tools as well as the tools for other tradesmen. All of the blacksmith’s tools were varied and specific to their tasks of measuring, grasping, shaping, cutting and boring. There were tongs of various sizes used for handling the hot iron, a buffing wheel used for sanding and polishing, as well as chisels and metal punches of varying sizes used for perforating the iron. A “swage block” was also used regularly. This was a block of iron that contained holes and recesses of varying sizes that enabled the blacksmith to shape the iron consistently. A tool known as “The Dogs” was used when binding cartwheels. This tool was similar to a two-pronged fork and was approximately 4 feet long and 3 inches thick. Its primary use was to lift and carry the hot metal bindings while the binding process took place. On entering the yard in Killowen there were two large stones visible, on the right was an edging stone and on the left was a binding stone used for binding cartwheels. A nearby roadside water pump ensured a regular water supply to the forge.
It is well known that a horseshoe is considered a lucky charm and many a doorway is adorned with an upturned horseshoe to bring luck to the household. This practice originated back in the 10th century. St. Dunstan, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, began his working life as a blacksmith and legend has it that he was working one day in his forge when the devil entered and made himself known to the saint. The devil demanded that St. Dunstan shoe his cloven feet thus making him a servant of the devil. However, St. Dunstan came up with an idea. He informed the devil that he would have to bind him to the wall in order to make sure that he did not move during the shoeing process. Then St. Dunstan made the shoeing process so painful that the devil begged him for mercy. St. Dunstan said he would grant this if the devil promised never to enter a house where a horseshoe was fixed over the door. To this day, horseshoes can be found affixed over doorways all over Europe. It is important that the shoe is hung the correct way. It must be hung with the points facing upwards as this will capture good luck and push it through the door. If the shoe is hung facing downwards, then all the good luck will drain down towards the earth.
One of the blacksmith’s principal duties was the shoeing of horses. The size and type of shoe varied, depending on the animal. A good blacksmith could forge and fit a new set of shoes on a horse in an hour. Lighter shoes were used on racehorses, hunters, ponies and donkeys whereas larger horses like the Clydesdale and Draught required a heavier shoe. Iron measuring 1 inch by ¾ inch was purchased in various lengths and making a heavy shoe required a piece of iron that was approximately one foot long. However, lighter shoes used pieces of iron that were of smaller dimensions. When iron was in short supply the blacksmith resorted to using recycled materials such as wheel bands that were heated and split into the correct width. A shoe known as a “slipper” was often used in cases where a horse only required one new shoe rather than a complete set. This type of shoe was made from an older shoe that was reshaped to fit the particular hoof. The “slipper” would suffice until it was time to fit the horse with four new shoes. The nails used in affixing the shoes varied in size and were classified by number. “Sevens” and “eights” were the most commonly used. The icy conditions in wintertime required special nails to be attached to the shoes of a horse, these nails were called “frost nails” and enabled the horse to travel without losing its footing. A box of nails was a relatively expensive part of the outgoings for the forge and they were usually purchased from Eustace & Co, Timber & Hardware Merchants, Leitrim Street, Cork.
The manufacture of a horseshoe began with the cutting of iron to the required length. The piece of iron was reddened in the fire and then bent in half. It was then shaped on the horn of the anvil in order to achieve a curved effect. Once the blacksmith was satisfied with the size and shape of the shoe, he made the perforations for the nails. A “clip” was made on the front of the shoe and for heavier horses a “cock” was added to the rear of the shoe. This was done to minimise movement of the shoe. The actual shoeing process began with the blacksmith placing the horse’s foot between his knees. His first duty was to pare the hoof with a knife. The shoe was then positioned on the hoof to check if it was fitting correctly, and if not, further paring with the knife was required. The hot shoe was cooled in water and then secured to the hoof by nails. The smith hammered in four on one side and three on the other. The side of the shoe that faced outwards from the hoof was always secured with the four nails as this part of the hoof absorbed the most pressure when the horse was in motion. Nowadays the practice of shoeing horses with hot shoes has been discontinued. All protruding nails were removed with a pincers and filed with the rasp for a neat smooth finish. For dray horses that frequently travelled by road, a rubber pad was placed between the hoof and the shoe to protect the hoof from the constant exposure to the harder surface. The feet of a horse are as important as the wheels of a car.
The above item is taken from an article, ‘Killowen Forge’ written by the late Angela Murphy and published in ‘Old Blarney’ Journal No 8.
The latest edition of ‘Old Blarney’ Journal, Issue No.14, is now available in local shops.