Forging a Future For Traditional Craft Skills

An ancient part of our history is returning to the fore. Amidst the smoke and spark, the glowing iron and the hammer of the anvil, a once revered and time-honoured craft is re-emerging through a new generation.

This is metalcraft, the art of executing artistic designs in metal, and it is all around us. We think of the famous relics: the Broighter Collar; the Petrie Crown; the Ardagh Chalice and Tara Brooch. What we often do not consider are the 18th- and 19th-century gates that decorate almost every town and city up and down our isle. Metalwork is a part of our everyday lives, as is the intricacy, care and creativity it took to form these unique pieces.

“It’s important to go into the community, light a fire, and let people see what this hot material is really like”

From his forge in Killuragh, Co Limerick, master blacksmith Eric O’Neill explains why his skills are more in demand and relevant than ever. “There’s something about working with your hands and with the elements,” he shares. “More forging is happening in the world than ever before, but much of it occurs behind closed doors. It’s important to go into the community, light a fire, and let people see what this hot material is really like.”

Eric’s path to smithing was unexpected. In 2008, after a successful career in construction, he found himself at a professional crossroads due to the financial downturn. “I was watching a documentary on television about blacksmithing. It resonated with me. I turned to my wife and said: ‘I know what I want for my birthday - I want to try a forging course’.”

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He travelled to a weekend workshop in the United Kingdom and fell in love with the craft. Eric comes from a long line of blacksmiths, but his father had diversified from the industry, and Eric hadn’t considered it a viable career option until that point. That initial training weekend sent Eric down a new path. He continued to study in the UK and, over time, honed his skills to the mastery he possesses today.

To witness him working is mesmerising. The heating of iron, the methodical clanging as he shapes his material. No laptop screens or technology are at play here - this is as hands-on an experience as you’ll find, requiring complete presence, concentration and care.

Eric’s passion is palpable, lighting up as he speaks about Ireland’s ancient association with the craft. He thanks shows like Game of Thrones and Forged in Fire, a US TV programme featuring smiths competing to create the best weapons, for the new wave of craft-curious folks stepping forward, eager to be a part of this unique community.

“To witness him working is mesmerising. The heating of the iron, the methodical clanging as he shapes his material”

“The primary task is education. When I started to study metalcraft, there was nowhere offering courses in Ireland,” Eric says. “I approached the Vocational Education Committee (VEC) about the idea of a short programme that would allow people from all walks of life to see the craft up close and get a feel for it. I believe it is a gateway to other crafts and we must preserve craft skills in this country. The raw material itself is full of heritage, and we need people who will maintain, conserve and protect the products we have across Ireland. We absolutely need people to be trained in this craft.”

Today Eric is the lead tutor at Ireland’s only City and Guilds certified training course in Blacksmithing and Iron Craft at the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of Further Education Cappamore Campus. There he helps born-again blacksmiths, as he likes to call them, hone their skills.

“We have been teaching blacksmithing here at the college since 2011. The classes include people who have blacksmithing in their blood and those who work in stressful desk jobs and want to do something creative or try something new.”

One of these pupils is Mary Hallinan, the first female blacksmithing and iron craft graduate to receive City and Guilds accreditation. Mary was subsequently accepted for further training with the first rollout of an All-Ireland Heritage Skills programme run by the Prince’s Foundation Trust in partnership with the Heritage Council.

The All-Ireland Heritage Skills programme is a bursary scheme that provides an opportunity to keep alive traditional skills like blacksmithing, stone masonry, joinery, thatching and woodworking techniques. Guaranteeing their importance for the future and making sure they continue to play a vital role in conserving our past is critical, Eric believes.

“This is as hands-on an experience as you’ll find, requiring complete presence, concentration and care”

Speaking about her scholarship with the pilot project, Mary says: “I’m delighted I got this opportunity, and I’m really enjoying my time here. I learnt so much at the Cappamore Campus, and it’s great to bring those skills here where I can be a part of maintaining historical monuments and sites throughout Ireland.”

“People often ask if this is male-focused work, and I always say no,” Eric explains. “Anyone who wants to learn these skills can. Unlike what people may think, it is not all about physicality. It’s what every individual brings to metal. Mary is a great example. When she started, I remember explaining to her how I work with metal would be different from how she would work with it. While I might be hitting the steel at 1,200 degrees, Mary could hit it at 1,400 degrees when the material is softer, making the metal more malleable.”

So, for those tempted by the idea of fire and craft, what exactly does the blacksmithing and ironcraft skills course at Cappamore Campus offer?

The full-time City and Guilds certified course, delivered by Eric, offers an introduction and covers learning how to forge to industry standards and training in the use of forge hearths, forge metal and specialist blacksmith tools.

“We want every student to accumulate the skills to allow you to forge timelines and with very minimised energy loss,” Eric explains. “We teach everyone the health and safety rules first - after all, you’re dealing with several fires in the class. After that, we learn basic skills, how to manage the materials and make pieces.”

This introduction course is for novices who have a calling to try it, he says.

“By night three, the fire will be less scary, and you’ll finish a class with something small, like a keyring. But we continue to progress from there. To come to a class, work with the fires and leave that evening with a product you have made from raw material, the energy and satisfaction it brings is like no other.”

For Eric and the team at Cappamore, building a future community of blacksmiths is at the heart of everything they do. “We’re passionate about keeping this craft alive,” Eric declares. “After that, we let the fire do the work.”

If you’re looking to explore and develop skills that will open doors for you, you can find more details on this course and others available at the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of FET, Cappamore Campus at collegeoffet.ie/cappamore-campus. lcetb.ie