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.