Blacksmiths in Kilkenny

Dan McEvoy

"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there". Many such things, indeed, they don't do any more. Like blacksmithing, for instance. Few people are old enough now to remember it, but Kilkenny was once very much a blacksmiths' town. The glow of the fire, the hiss of the bellows, the clang of the hammer on the anvil ... everyday sounds in an age of grinding poverty when the horse was still king. This article recalls a number of smiths and their smithies.

Local legend has it that the Wilkinson family of razor blade fame originally hailed from the city. Whatever about the truth of that story, it's certainly fair to say that Wilkinsons were the makers of one of the oldest gates in Kilkenny; the one situated in the entrance of Sean Hurley's house in Abbey St., and stamped with the word 'Wilkinson'. This gate was clearly not a one-off, as a similar structure stands [since removed] at the entrance to the car park behind Avonmore House, formerly the Hibernian Bank, in Patrick St. Joe Wilkinson, the last member of the family to live in Kilkenny, worked in a forge at the corner of Parnell St. and Friary St. in a yard owned by Dinkie Wolfson, the scrap dealer. In his spare time Joe was a noted card player; according to contemporaries, when he went 'solo' you could pay up! The Wilkinsons were an old city family, many of whom are mentioned in Hogan's Kilkenny and one of whom was a member of the Corporation. In addition, Wilkinsons made the iron fittings for coach builders around the city.

Across the road from Wilkinsons at the site of the old Murphy's garage (Murphys ran the Dublin/Kilkenny road service before the Hehir family took it over) was a forge kept by Patrick Gray. A native of the Heath, Portlaoise, where his family were farriers at the racing stable of Colonel Blake, Patrick came to serve his time with Messrs. Lewis in John St. His son Eddie runs a thriving television business in upper John St.

James Hughes, a hardware merchant who sold the first threshing engine in the city, had a forge in Irishtown and was probably the most prolific gatemaker in Kilkenny. John Dunne had a forge at Bateman Quay alongside a number of stables in Captain Barry's yard. Ned Dunne, his son, had a forge in Friary St., at the rear of the house now occupied by Kilkenny Corporation foreman Seamus McGuinness. Mick Foley from Johnswell, who used the forge in Captain Barry's yard after John Dunne, later joined the British Army, was promoted to Sergeant and served overseas as an army farrier.

Mr. Moriarty was responsible for the welfare of the dray horses stabled at St. Francis Abbey and used by Smithwicks for delivering beer around town. The farrier was a Mr. Farrell, the father of Moll Farrell, a gifted musician who lived in Patrick St.

As well as being blacksmiths, Power & Sons were erectors of haybarns and the makers of the rear gate of Leahys, Deerpark. The firm was purchased by E.J. Delehaunty, who had a thriving hardware business and imported Royal Enfield bicycles -price 39s 6d –from England in crates assembled by J.J. Wall (later the owner of an extensive bicycle business in Maudlin St.). Lloyd Finn, who was one of Delehaunty's employees, made the entrance gates and railings for St. Kieran's cemetery. Lloyd owned a forge in Michael St. and his daughter Nan was an active worker in St. John's parish.

Dick Brennan had a forge in the Sconce. He was a member of the great Kilkenny hurling team that won seven All Irelands in the years between 1904 and 1913. His son John was a very good farrier. However, John's sons Fesker and Dixie never took up the trade as their father advised them there was not a living to be had from it. Old Dick's specialty was top-class iron gates. On a fair day he would wait in anticipation of a farmer or cattle dealer coming to buy one. An eight foot gate sold for 30s Od, a nine foot for 32s 6d. After-selling the gate Dick had 10s Od for himself, 5s Od each for his two sons, and the balance went to Jim Healy's hardware shop in Kieran St. to pay for the iron. Brennans' Sconce operation was the longest surviving forge in Kilkenny: it didn't close until 1983.

In those days farmers would bring in a working horse for 'removes', which entailed taking off the worn set of shoes and dressing them i.e. heating them in a fire, and perhaps reinforcing them with a piece of worn shoe, The horse's hoof would be trimmed and the repaired shoe put back on. Such economies were essential in the poverty-stricken times that were in it; few farriers could afford the price (5s Od or more) of a new set of shoes. If the trade had its merits, easy money was certainly not one of them. At one stage in the early years of the century the blacksmiths got together and inserted an advertisement in the Kilkenny People announcing that they were no longer prepared to work on credit. Jack Phelan of St. Rioch's Terrace was often handed a sheaf of bills by his father, Tom Phelan of Irishtown, and sent off on his bicycle. He would return home from the farmers who owed money with very few accounts settled.

Mick McBride, who came in from Grovine and worked for Lewis's in John St., before setting up on his own nearby in Maudlin St. had a different way of tackling the problem. On a church holiday he'd put on his good suit, go down town and try to buttonhole the farmers who owed him money.

Bill O'Brien, grandfather of Kilkenny hurler Liam ('Chunky'), was another farrier to work for Lewis's. He also worked at Bob Brophy's of John's Green, a job that had its own advantages as he could often pop across the street for a pint in O'Gorman's or Mansfield's, courtesy of the owner of each horse he shod. He later worked for Mick McBride in Maudlin St.

Joe Burke of Friary St. had his forge at the rear of the Regent cinema. He served his time with James Hughes and spent a period with Pat Henebery in Dunmore and Ballyfoyle. Joe's regular customers included the farmers from Castleinch, and Rose Inn St. baker, Paddy Crotty. At that time, of course, the bread was delivered exclusively by horse.

Johnny Peters of Foulkstown and Tommy Stapleton of Dunmore were two blacksmiths a little removed from the city, while Mick and Ned Moran were bachelor brothers who had a forge in Barrack St. on what is now the site of the Esso depot. They made spurs for fighting game-cocks.

Connerys came from Clinstown and had a forge at John's Green. A turnstile at the junction of Dukesmeadows and the Canal Walk bears their name. A member of the family became the first wife of Samuel Johnston in Barrack St; Samuel was grandfather of well-known Hebron Road businessman Sam.

The Lewis family in John St. ran a large operation, employing up to 25 men in the postal service which involved daily deliveries and collections in places like Callan, Thomastown, Ballyragget and Castlecomer. The Lewises bred and broke their own horses. As we've seen, many of the would-be blacksmiths in Kilkenny came to serve their time in the forge on the Lewis premises. Fogartys, with an engineering works in the Ring, and Deloughreys, with a foundry across the road in Parliament St., were two other city families in the metal trade.

James Phelan lived at the Rock, Threecastles, in the house now occupied by Davy Campion. His son Tom had a forge at Irishtown on the premises where the Monahans subsequently had a fruit store. He later moved to the corner of Vicar St. Tom's son Jimmy continued the business but diversified into welding. James Phelan, another son of the first James Phelan, had a forge further up Vicar St. where his daughter Mrs. Foran was in later years to keep a sweetshop.

One of the longest-serving forges in Kilkenny was Brophys', situated on the Wolfe Tone St. side of John's Green. Formerly run by the Connerys and Cumminses, it was taken over by the Brophys of Rathmoyle, an old blacksmithing family, in 1915. John Brophy was the manager till his death in 1934, upon which Bob Brophy came in from his home in Threecastles to direct operations. Bob died at the age of 82 in 1971.

How lucrative a trade was blacksmithing? The account book for 1849 of Richard Power of Flagmount, Clara, now in the possession of KAS member Liam Bolger, gives a clue. One remove 2d; one shoe 3d; piecing a sock 6d; piecing a spade 10d; making a sprong 6d; piecing 28 harrow points 1s 2d and so on. All arts that, like the blacksmith's status as local character (the country ones were generally remarkably well-read) and his forge's role as focal point of the community, hotbed of chat and halting place for men of the road, have gone with the wind.

[This article appeared originally in Old Kilkenny Review 1994.]

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Page created 18 November 2001