Culture Night 2023: Medieval Bell Casting

A brief break in the relentless rain for the afternoon on Culture Night 2023 gave us a chance to demonstrate Medieval bronze casting techniques to an audience of over twenty people here in South Kerry. During the six-hour workshop we heated five full 3kg crucibles in quick succession and poured a total of five Medieval Irish Handbells, based on 10th/11th C. artefacts - and a rubber duck... We revived last year’s charcoal furnace, burn-out and casting pits which all still proved to be in great condition. Some of the bells will form part of an exhibition based on the monastic sites of South Kerry.

The event was supported by The Arts Council and Kerry County Council

Making Curachs with Ballinskelligs NS

Ten fifth and sixth year pupils of Scoil Mhichíl Naofa, Ballinskelligs National School, built two 16ft Dunfanaghy Curachs under the guidance of Holger Lonze over a period of five weeks. The boats, named Báidín na nÓg and An Báidín Greanta were launched on the 21st June at Reen Pier with the local community. Curachs, usually called canoes in South Kerry, were commonly used in this part of the Uíbh Ráthach peninsula until the early 20th C. However, unlike in West Kerry, the tradition vanished, the boats being replaced by carvel-built Seine boats. The curachs built by the school are Sheephaven, Co. Donegal style boats, which are simpler to make than the local naomhóga. The use of inexpensive, local and easily-sourced materials such as hazel, canvas and white deal, allowed the pupils to learn about making sustainable and affordable leisure craft with regional significance and heritage. Holger has made over 40 curachs and local boats with various community groups all over Ireland since 2001, some of these groups have become permanent heritage organisations, such as Lough Neagh Boating Heritage Association (watch a video of making Dunfanaghy Curachs here).

The launch ceremony with poet Paddy Bushe at Reen Pier, Ballinskelligs with many members of the local community in attendance

Báidín na nÓg finished in the foreground, rainwater is left in the curach to flatten the hull

The kids learn to use traditional hand tools and basic woodworking and boat building skills

Medieval Bell Making Event for CULTURE NIGHT 2022

Over thirty people attended our medieval bell making workshop here near Portmagee as part of this year’s Culture Night. Karen, Barry and myself poured two bronze handbells, based on finds of the 8th-10th C., during the day and a third one after dark that unfortunately did not turn out. The authentic medieval foundry set-up was a clay pit furnace, dug in the morning and fuelled with charcoal and a set of bag bellows. Despite problems with (assuming) contaminated metal, we melted a total of 6kg of bronze during the event. Demonstrations in making 6th C. iron handbells took place between the pours. The rich early Christian Heritage of the Iveragh peninsula provided the historic context of the event which was kindly supported and promoted by Culture Night 2022 and Kerry Co. Co. Arts Office.