Blacksmiths meld art with functionality to keep craft alive

The fact he spends his days working at a traditional forge just outside the West Cork town of Clonakilty means Moss Gaynor is one of an elite group of highly skilled professionals: “People are surprised when I tell them I’m a blacksmith,” he says.

“A lot of people associate blacksmiths with traditional horse-shoeing rather than with the kind of design work blacksmiths are doing today — everything from bespoke entrance gates to staircases and furniture, restoration of old church ironwork and sculptural artwork.”

The father-of-two has spent years producing bespoke functional pieces — but he has also recently launched an exhibition of his artwork, Everything In Time.

“The exhibition is very much about abstract forms relating to the Atlantic seaboard from which I draw my inspiration,” says Gaynor, 43. His public artwork in Clonakilty includes the t’Aint A Bird monkey in Recorder’s Alley and the eye-catching Surfboard at Inchydoney.

Despite the small size of the blacksmith community, the craft is not dying out, says Gaynor. Modern blacksmiths may be small in number but are very dedicated and, unexpectedly, young with many practising blacksmiths now in their 30s and 40s.

Gaynor, who works with a traditional coal forge as well as a modern gas forge and uses a power hammer for heavy work, says there’s intense public interest in the craft which is now mostly taught through workshops and special programmes.

“A lot of people are interested in trying it. People are definitely enthused by it. I have friends who run workshops and they report that they’re really well attended,” he says. Nowadays, traditional forge-work is being interpreted through the use of modern techniques and equipment.

“We believe there are about 50 to 60 practising blacksmiths now, people making a living direct from blacksmithing and metal work, whether they are teaching the skill, producing functional pieces or producing artwork.

“The percentage of people doing actual blacksmithing today is very small because they design and create from scratch. It’s a unique product.

“A lot of people don’t appreciate that kind of work because they’re exposed more to fabricated work which comes in pieces which are imported from abroad and then assembled by skilled workers.”

• Everything In Time exhibition runs at The Loft gallery in Clonakilty until the end of October.