The first woman to graduate from Ireland’s only City and Guilds-certified training course in blacksmithing and ironcraft skills was recently feted at her graduation ceremony.
Mary Hallinan, who is from a farming background outside Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, completed the blacksmithing course at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of Further Education and Training (FET) Cappamore campus.
In addition to being the first female learner in the country to receive City and Guilds accreditation, Mary was subsequently accepted for further training with the first roll out of an All-Ireland Heritage Skills programme being run by the Prince’s Foundation Trust.
The All-Ireland Heritage Skills programme is a bursary scheme that provides an opportunity to keep traditional skills like blacksmithing, stone masonry, joinery, thatching and woodworking techniques alive, guaranteeing their importance for the future and ensuring they continue to play a vital role in conserving the past.
Speaking about her scholarship with the pilot project, Mary, who previously studied sculpture at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and did courses in jewellery making and goldsmithing in Spain, said: “The programme has a mix of craftspeople with six learners from Ireland and I’m one of three blacksmiths chosen this year.
“I’m delighted I got this opportunity and I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I learnt so much at the Cappamore campus and it’s great to be able to bring those skills here where I can be a part of maintaining historic monuments and sites throughout Ireland.”
The event also proved to be the perfect opportunity to unveil a special passion project from the blacksmithing graduates who have been working with master blacksmith tutor, Eric O’Neill, on a decorative sculpture as part of their course work.
The unveiling was a great way to mark the graduation ceremony and is now a significant addition to the campus.
Minister of State, Patrick O’Donovan said that he was delighted to attend and present the certificates to the graduating students of the City and Guilds blacksmithing and decorative blacksmithing programmes.
“This was a very special evening for both the students and their families,” he said.
“These students have worked very hard, with some travelling long distances to complete the only accredited blacksmithing programme in the country. I would like to congratulate them wish them well for the future.
“I would also like to commend Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and their tutors for the work that they have done in making Cappamore the centre of excellence for blacksmithing in the country,” the minister added.
Cappamore campus
It’s been a very busy couple of months for the campus, which opened its doors in early August as part of Heritage Week, with members of the public visiting and viewing the newly refurbished forge which is ready for the next group of learners.
The team then moved the forge outdoors for the recent Cappamore Show, with visitors there also given a chance to experience a live forging demonstration by blacksmith tutor Eric, using both traditional and modern techniques.
While Cappamore campus is a centre of excellence for blacksmithing in Ireland, it is just one of the many disciplines on offer there.
To highlight this, the campus also recently hosted an open day, with teachers and management on hand to give a tour of the classrooms and talk about the variety of other full and part-time programmes running this September.
These programmes include: Horticulture, family learning, art, craft and design, digital skills and cooking.