Churchill Forge Project Up For National Award

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THE Spa Fenit Community Council’s Forge Project in Churchill is entered for a national award.

The Forge Project has recently entered the National Rural Leader Impact Campaign and the winners will be decided by public vote. They are the only Kerry Project in the campaign and they are hoping people in the county take time to vote for them.

Entrants were asked to submit a short video detailing the impact of their Leader project.
Their project was the restoration of the Old Forge at Churchill and the construction of a Heritage Centre and the installation of 20 visually stimulating wall panels which supplement the equipment and tools in the old Forge.

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To vote, access their facebook page ‘Spa Fenit Community Council’ by clicking here or you can directly go the link by clicking here.

Since the late 1970’s there has been a resurgence of blacksmithing in Ireland with a view to keeping their skills and traditions alive.

This was uppermost in the plans and objectives of the Spa Community Council on acquiring the old Forge in Churchill.

This forge appeared in Ordinance Survey Maps as early as 1842 and was a unique focal point in the parish as a working forge until the death of the much loved and popular smith Patrick O’Sullivan affectionately known as “Paddy the Smith”.

The forge had fallen into disrepair and was purchased by a kind benefactor who offered the building in trust to the Spa Fenit Community Group.

Restoration work began immediately. The renovated and re-roofed building was opened to the public in 2002 with the full range of metal forming tools, the most important of those being the anvil, hammer, bellows, furnace and a range of hand tools such as tongs and punches.

In 2016 a heritage centre was constructed and in 2019 the project was completed with the installation of 20 visually stimulating wall panels which supplement the display of equipment and tools in the forge workshop.

One Comment

  1. Brilliant brilliant fabulous job to bring a treasure back again well done to the committee and the long road ye travelled

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