If I had a hammer | Blacksmithing at the Ulster Folk Museum

On St Patrick’s Day, while the rest of Northern Ireland appeared to be either celebrating or causing trouble, the Chapple Family decided to head to the relative quiet of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum [Facebook | Website | Twitter]. Well … we thought it would be peaceful! It was actually packed and the museum had put on a fantastic display with most of the available houses and craft areas being staffed. Although we are frequent visitors here, it is a relative rarity to see the rural forge open. Seeing a working blacksmith brings back memories from my early youth – travelling with my grandfather to get a plough horse reshod through to my own unskilled attempts to hammer hot metal into shape in the metalwork classes at Athenry Vocational School and Gulag. Seeing it done well is quite a treat! I’ve also got a new phone that appears to automatically create animated gif (Graphics Interchange Format) files. In the fast-moving world of imaging technology, they seem almost quaint … very 1996! Nonetheless, they still possess a certain charm and I thought I’d share them here! … I hope you enjoy!






If you’ve not already had enough of St Patrick’s Day, check out my review of Abarta Audioguides’ latest release: Patrick Six Years a Slave [here] and then go buy it [here].
Location: Cultra, Holywood, North Down BT18, UK

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