The Blacksmith's Forge

I hear everyone complaining about the wireless

What's your name again?

My name?

My name is- Pishrogs Swear like and steal Hosted by Luke Conroy

Is that a brewery?

No, it's a room for another one and- And Cathal Bergen

Ever since I can remember, my elders have been bemoaning the fact that the old skills, the old trades, are fast disappearing, and the one they talk about most sorrowfully is the blacksmith.

Now, just think of all the-

Finvarra and the Blacksmith.

There lived a blacksmith named Thomas Hughes in Scragh, Kilkerrin, in the County Galway.

There were seven generations of the Hughes family blacksmiths.

This particular Tom Hughes was called late one night to put a shoe on a horse for a benighted traveler.

Hughes did not wish to get up so late at night.

He told the traveler that he had no nails and that he could not put a shoe on the horse.

At that time, the blacksmiths used to make their own horse nails.

He had some left on top of the bellows for another man that had not turned up.

The traveler told him that there were nails left on the bellows for another man, and that these nails would do for him.

He also told the smith that if he did not get up and put on the shoes, that he would be sorry.

The smith now guessed that he was not dealing with a natural man.

We don't have a natural man on our hands.

This is no normal man.

He got up and set about putting on the shoes.

The stranger told him not to take notice of anything.

The horse seemed somewhat different to any horse Hughes had shod to this.

When the shoe was on, the stranger asked the charge, but the smith replied that he never charged a poor man on the road, and that he could not charge him either.

The traveler told the smith that he was Finvarra from Knockma, and that he was in command of a troop of fairy soldiers on their way down to County Longford to fight another fairy army.

He asked the smith to come outside on the road, and that he would show him his men.

He got the smith to look through a ring, and he saw hundreds of horsemen in battle array awaiting the word of march from Finvarra.

Finvarra had another living man in his troop too, for they could not fight without him.

This man was asleep, but when the battle would be over, they were to leave him in his own bed again.

He would only think he was dreaming.

It was a custom that they should have a living man on both sides to start a battle.

[laughs]

They would not commence the battle without a living man.

The blacksmith now wished Finvarra and the troop good luck, and he said he hoped they would return successfully.

Finvarra said that they would give the smith word of their success or defeat on their return that night.

On their return, they shouted through the window to the smith that they were victorious.

Woo.

Yay.

It happened that Finvarra came the same way another night.

He called Hughes to put on shoes on his horse.

Hughes knew the voice, and he had no hesitation in getting up this time.

He put on the shoe all right, and Finvarra asked the charge.

The smith told him, as before, that he never charged a man on the road, and that he would not charge him now.

Finvarra told the smith that he would not have that this time, that he shod the horse before and did not charge.

"I will pay you now," said Finvarra, "and make a rich man of you if you keep it secret." He gave the smith a small purse and said that the smith could take two gold sovereigns every time he wished, but he was not to tell anybody living about it.

The smith soon became a rich man, and his wife wanted to know where he was getting all this gold.

The smith kept his secret, and his wife kept nagging all along.

Like all women, she wanted to know the story.

Okay.

[laughs]

At last, he became so annoyed with her that he told her the story in full.

He asked her not to say anything about it, but the next time that he opened his purse to get some money, he found only two withered olive leaves in it.

The blacksmith was a sorry man then that he had not kept Finvarra's secret.

He never saw the fairy horseman from Knockma again.

And that collector was R. O'Connell, address, Kilkerrin, County Galway.

Informant, Thomas Brennan, aged 72, and his occupation was a smith.

Uh, address, Annaghbeg, County Galway.

And as always, all our stories come from Ducas.

Ducas.

Ducas.ie.

Yes.

From the National Folklore Collection.

Non spon.

[laughs]

No spon.