Ahern's Forge
The Forge in Bunratty Folk Park Circa 1964
Ahern’s Forge, from Athea In County Limerick, Is Remembered In Bunratty Castle Folk Park In County Clare Where An Exact Replica Now Stands, The Original Being No Longer In Existence. Although The Family Name Is Omitted From The Information Plaque On The Wall Outside The Door, I’m Certain The Old Souls, Who Spent Their Days Striking Iron And Steel Under The Heat From The Coke-Fired Pits, Periodically Flit In And Out Of Their Spiritual Abodes To Discreetly Reminisce Upon The Times That Once Were. The Forge In The Folk Park Sees Thousands Of Global Tourists Each Week, Where Competent Guides Present Them With The History Of The Building And About Blacksmithing And Farriery. This Publication, However, Will Deal With The Ahern Lineage, Particularly On Those Who Spent Their Days Labouring Away In The Old Forge, But Before That Let Me Present You With The Following:
The Blacksmith:
His Skills Have Been Called Upon In Ireland For Well Over Four Thousand Years And In Most Communities He Was Regarded With High Esteem And Seen As A Kind Of Magician, Because Of The Way He Was Able To Forge Heated Metal Into All Kinds Of Implements. He Looked After His Community’s Agricultural And Domestic Equipment, Shoed Horses, Donkeys And Mules, Made Gates And Rails, Fabricated Crude Peasant Weapons And, At Times, Even Acted As A Dentist By Pulling Bad Teeth With Either His Narrow Tongs Or His Specially Made Tooth-Key.
The Blacksmith Truly Was One Of The Most Important Tradesmen In His Society And Would Have Served His Time As An Apprentice From About The Age Of Eleven, Honing His Skills And Qualifying Some Several Years Later.
His Forge Would Have Contained Many Different Tools, Which Were Used For Various Tasks; A Firepit, For Heating The Metal; An Anvil, Upon Which To Form A Multitude Of Shapes; A Bellows, Which Were Used To Blow Air Into The Coals To Increase The Temperature; And A Quenching Pool, Which Was Used For Cooling.
Devoid Of Bright Lighting, The Forge Was An Intentionally Darkened Place, For The Blacksmith Knew Nothing Of Celsius Or Fahrenheit And Had No Thermometer For Temperature Indications. He Would Judge If A Piece Of Metal Was Ready For Forging By Simply Taking It Out Of The Fire And Looking At Its Colour, Allowing His Experience And Judgement To Be His Guide. Although The Blacksmith Was Seen Mostly To Work With Hot Metals, He Did Also On Occasion Cold Work Certain Materials.
His Fuel For The Fire Was Originally Charcoal And During The 16th And 17th Centuries It Was Readily Available, And Relatively Cheap In Ireland. The Reason For This Was Because English-Owned Iron Foundries Were In Operation Throughout The Country And Were Using The Irish Woodlands To Make Their Charcoal. At The Time, Ireland Was The Biggest Producer And Exporter Of Iron Gates And Fences. However, Unlike What They Were Doing Back In Their Homeland, The English Hadn’t Bothered To Replant After Every Felling And Around 1697 Things Came To A Head. Charcoal Became Scarce And Slowly But Surely The Foundries Left Ireland To Relocate To England, Leaving The Blacksmith Without A Constant Supply Of Wrought Iron. From Then On, The Blacksmith Had To Rely Upon The Recycling Of Iron To Keep Him In Business And Got Into The Habit Of Hoarding Metal, Storing It In Piles Around The Forge Floor, Against The Walls, Hanging From The Ceiling, And Wherever There Was Space Outside.
Still, The Demise Of Blacksmithing More Than Likely Started Earlier. Around 1480 The Mass-Production Of Cast Iron Products Was Introduced, Followed After 1697 With The Loss Of The Foundries And Then The Introduction Of Mild Steel Around 1860. Horseshoes Were Mass-Produced From The Material In Different Sizes, Forcing Many Blacksmiths To Abandon That Particular Craft. Others, However, Worked Away With The Steel And Slowly Gave Rise To The Separate Farriery Industry.
Industrial Revolutions, The Introduction Of The Tractor And Other “Modern” Farm Machinery, Also Worked Against The Blacksmith, Leaving Him With Less And Less Work. Many Retired Or Sought Other Forms Of Employment And Some Even Emigrated Or Used Their Skill For A Different Smithing Craft. The Major “Nail In The Coffin” Though Was When Family Members, Particularly Sons, Began To Decline This Inheritance Trade, Leaving A Forge To Close Its Doors When The Incumbent Smith Died. Blacksmithing Is, However, In Somewhat Of A Revival, And Since The Late 1970s Certain Associations Were Formed With The Aim Of Keeping The Art Alive And Available To New Candidates. The Irish Artist Blacksmiths Association “Encourages, Advises And Helps Artist Blacksmiths And Decorative Metal Workers Working In Ireland”. The Current Chairman For The Association Is James O’Connor, Himself A Highly Skilled And Professional Blacksmith.
Carmel Ahern (2nd From Left, Daughter Of Sean Ahern) And Her Family, Visiting The Replica Of Her Great Grandfather’s Athea Forge At Bunratty Castle Folk Park, July 2024.
(1)Denis “Denny” Ahern
(1)Denis “Denny” Joseph Ahern Was Born In Athea, County Limerick, Ireland, On 3rd March 1924, To (2)Thomas Ahern And Johanna Quill.
The Country Of Ireland Was Going Through Many Changes Since The End Of The Civil War. Some Things Of Note During The Year Of Denis’ Birth Included A New Licensing Bill Which Allowed Pubs To Open Between 9am And 10pm, With The Sale Of Alcohol Limited To Those Over Eighteen; The “Old Age Pension” Was Cut By 10% To Nine Shillings; The Teaching Of Irish In All Schools Was Made Compulsory; The Defence Forces Were Established, Incorporating The National Army; W.T. Cosgrave Was Head Of The Irish Free State’s Government; W.B. Yates Published “The Cat And The Moon, And Certain Poems”; Dublin Won The All-Ireland Hurling Championship, With Kerry Taking The Gaelic Football Championship. Denis Was Fifteen Years Old When World War II Broke Out During 1939.
(1)Denis Married Johanna “Birdie” Guiry In Athea, County Limerick, During 1954. They Had At Least Five Children: 1)Thomas – Born Circa 1955 In County Limerick, Ireland. 2)Margaret – Born Circa 1958 In County Limerick, Ireland. 3)James 4)Michael 5)Mary
Denis Ahern, Last Blacksmith At The Forge.
Ahern’s Forge C.1939
Ahern’s Forge C.1969, When It Closed Its Door.
(1)Denis “Denny” Ahern Died On 1st Dec 2008 In University Hospital, Limerick City, Ireland, And Buried On 4th Dec 2008 In Holy Cross Cemetery, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. His Wife, Johanna Guiry, Died On 30th Nov 2017 In University Hospital, Limerick City, Ireland, And Buried In Dec 2017 In Holy Cross Cemetery, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland.
(2)Thomas Ahern
(2)Thomas Ahern Was Born In Dromada, County Limerick, Ireland, On 30th September 1878, To (3)James Ahern And Margaret Walsh.
Thomas Would most likely Have Started His Blacksmithing Career As An Apprentice At The Age Of Eleven Or Twelve.
Some Things Of Note During The Year Of Thomas’ Birth Included The Launch Of The Experimental Submarine “Holland I” In New Jersey, Designed By Irish-Born John Philip Holland; The Intermediate Education Act Was Passed; Oscar Wilde Left Ireland For Good; The Irish Cycling Association (ICA) Was Established; A Mini Famine Began And Lasted Three Years, Affecting The West Of Ireland The Most And Causing A Huge Reduction In The Potato Crop. Turf And Cereal Crops Were Also Too Wet To Harvest.
(2)Thomas Married Johanna Quill On 17th Feb 1914 In Athea, County Limerick. They Had At Least Two Children: 1)Margaret Mary – Born On 5th March 1916 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. 2)(1)Denis “Denny”.
(2)Thomas Ahern Died Of Myocardial Disease On 9th Dec 1949 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. His Wife, Johanna Quill, Died On 4th Feb 1976 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland.
(3)James Ahern
(3)James Ahern Was Born In Dromada, County Limerick, Ireland, Circa 1846, To (4)James Ahern And Johanna Fitzgerald.
James Would most likely Have Started His Blacksmithing Career As An Apprentice At The Age Of Eleven Or Twelve.
Some Things Of Note During The Year Of James’ Birth Included The Great Famine (Or The Great Hunger, Known In Irish As An Gorta Mór) Which Had Already Begun. The Potato Crops Had Been Infected By Blight And By The Time The Famine Ended In 1849, Over 1.5 Million People Had Died. During His Lifetime The Land War Of 1879 To 1881 Occurred, Where Agitation Took Place To Try To “Secure Fair Rent, Free Sale, And Fixity Of Tenure For Tenant Farmers And Ultimately Peasant Proprietorship Of The Land They Worked.” Out Of This Struggle Were Born “Grabbers” (Landgrabbers) And The “Blacklegs” (Those Working Against The Unions – Scabs).
(3)James Ahern Married Margaret Walsh On 13th Jan 1872 In Athea, County Limerick. They Had At Least Ten Children: 1)Elizabeth “Bess” – Born On 18th Jan 1873 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. She Emigrated To The USA Where She Married Cornelius Ahern. She Died In Chicago, USA, On 13th Nov 1945. 2)Mary – Born On 21st May 1874 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. Mary Married Thomas Flanagan On 14th Feb 1899 In Newcastle West, County Limerick, Ireland. 3)Johanna “Hannie” – Born On 10th Nov 1876 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. Johanna Married Denis Quill On 22nd Jun 1897 In Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. She Died On 5th Nov 1942 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. 4)(2)Thomas. 5)James – Born On 2nd Nov 1880 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. James Married Nell Quirke. 6)Ellen – Born On 28th Oct 1882 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. 7)Margaret – Born On 30th Oct 1884 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. She Emigrated To The USA Where She Married Patrick Fitzgerald In Chicago On 7th Jun 1911. She Died On 25th May 1956 In Chicago. 8)John – Born On 28th Dec 1886 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. John Married Margaret Fitzgerald On 28th Jan 1912 In Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. 9)Patrick – Born On 27th Sep 1888 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. He Married Mary Wren And Had At Least Two Children: Seán and James (Who Was A Blacksmith In Carrigkerry, County Limerick and Married Josephine “Josie” O’Shaughnessy). Patrick Died On 13th Aug 1962 And His Wife, Mary, Died On 25th Apr 1967. 10)Bridget – Born On 30th Sep 1890 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland. Bridget Married Patrick Mullane On 7th Mar 1916 In Athea, County Limerick, Ireland.
During 1894/5, (3)James Had Done Some Work For A “Grabber” And Also For Some “Blacklegs”. When Customers Threatened To Boycott His Forge, He Appeared Before The Athea Branch Of The Irish National Federation (I.N.F.) On 17th Feb 1895 And Stated That “A Sovereign A Horse Nail Would Not Tempt Him Again To Work For One Of Them Again Against The People’s Wishes”. (Limerick Leader 20th Feb 1895).
In The 1901 Census Of Ireland, Carried Out On 31st March, (3)James Was Living In Gortnagross, Rathronan, County Limerick, With His Wife Margaret And Six Of Their Children. Here He Is Noted As Being A Farmer And A Blacksmith, And Both He And Margaret Could Speak Irish And English. Their Home Was A “3rd Class” House With Four Rooms, A Thatched Roof, And Either Mud Or Wooden Walls. They Also Had A Stable, A Cow House, And A Piggery.
In The 1911 Census Of Ireland, Carried Out On 2nd April, (3)James Was Living In Gortnagross, Rathronan, County Limerick, With His Wife Margaret And Four Of Their Children. Here He Is Noted As Being A Farmer And A Blacksmith. Their Home Was A “2nd Class” House With Five Rooms, A Thatched Roof, And Stone Walls. They Also Had A Stable, A Cow House, A Calf House, A Dairy, A Barn, A Fowl House, And A Piggery.
(3)James Ahern Died Of Pneumonia On 2nd Jan 1912 In Dromada, Rathronan, County Limerick, Ireland. His Wife, Margaret Walsh, Died On 6th Jan 1924 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland.
From The “Kerry People” 27th Jan 1912
(4)James Ahern
(4)James Ahern Was Born Circa 1813 In Islandanny (Oilean Eanaig - Which Means "Marsh Island”) In County Kerry, Ireland, To (5)Thomas Ahern. He Married Johanna Fitzgerald On 4th Feb 1837 At The Parish Church Of Duagh In County Kerry, Ireland. Soon After, They Crossed The County Border Into Athea In County Limerick, Where They Settled Down And either bought or Built A Forge In The Neighbourhood.
(4)James Appears In The Griffith’s Valuation In 1852 In Gortnagross, Renting Nearly Seven Acres Of Land, A House And Office, From Wyndham Goold.
(4)James And Johanna Had At Least Eight Children: 1)Thomas – Baptised On 27th Oct 1837 In Dromada, County Limerick. 2)John – Baptised On 19th Jun 1841 In Dromada, County Limerick. 3)William – Baptised On 24th Aug 1843 In Dromada, County Limerick. 4)(3)James. 5)Mary – Baptised On 21st Apr 1848 In Dromada, County Limerick. 6)Maurice – Baptised On 19th Oct 1850 In Dromada, County Limerick. 7)Patrick – Baptised On 1st Jan 1855 In Dromada, County Limerick. 8)David – Baptised On 22nd Apr 1857 In Gortnagross, County Limerick.
Some Things Of Note During The Year Of James’ Birth Included The Battle Of Garvagh In Londonderry On July 26th, When Around Four Hundred “Ribbonmen” (Poor Catholics Who Were Opposed To Landlords And Their Agents And The Idea Of The Protestants Orange Order) Attempted To Destroy The Garvagh Tavern In Which The Orange Lodge Met. They Were Beaten Back By Protestants Bearing Muskets. The Event Is Commemorated In The Song “The Battle Of Garvagh”. On The 10th Of September, The Largest Meteorite Ever To Fall On Ireland Landed In Adare In County Limerick And Is Currently On Display At Limerick Museum.
(4)James Ahern Died On 16th March 1879 In Dromada, County Limerick, Ireland. His Wife, Johanna Fitzgerald, Died On 27th August 1893 In Gortnagross, Athea, County Limerick, Ireland.
(5)Thomas Ahern
(5)Thomas Ahern Was Born Circa 1780, Most likely In the Islandanny area of County Kerry, Ireland, To parents as of yet unknown. It is believed that Thomas was also a Blacksmith.
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Acknowledgements to Damien Ahern, Geraldine Ahern and Carmel Ahern, Descendants Of The Ahern Blacksmiths, who Have also Kindly Given Permission For The Following Photos To Be Displayed. If anybody objects to anything, would like to offer corrections/additions to the tree, or can offer further information regarding the ahern blacksmiths, please get in touch with Ancestral Line. also, If Anybody happens to Recognise Anyone In These Photos, do let Ancestral Line know.
