carriage – Rath Mhuire Men's Social Club

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Coopers & Coopering

Demonstrating the coopering trade is Eamonn Creamer – Granard Cooper

Coopers were skilled craftsmen who fashioned all types of barrels, casks and churns for use in the dairy and brewery industries, but now their skills have all but disappeared with the onset of initially, aluminium containers and later stainless steel containers, which are still used to this day. Over the decades there were some very skilled Coopers in Granard, Co. Longford, including a local Granard family who made the barrels/kegs for Guinness Brewery.

See the tools of the trade here

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Cooper’s Tools

These pictures showcase an array of tools that were used by the Cooper:

A range of items that the Cooper would have made include:

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Sléan

A spade for cutting turf. These implements were very common all over Ireland up until quite recently. There was a right-handed & left-handed slean and obviously it was very important to have the correct implement for a productive day on the bog! Turf cutting was very popular in North County Longford. (Breast Sléan). The one shown in our video is a right-handed sléan.

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Wooden Barrel

Wooden barrels and casks were made by coopers throughout the country and were used in different ways and places, including, the farmhouse, the dairy and particularly in the brewery trade.

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Butter Pail

This is an example of one type of pail used in the butter making process

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Firkin

When the butter making process was completed butter was taken to the market in the Firkin. A Firkin was a British unity for the sale of butter and cheese. 1 Firkin = 56 pounds = 25 kilograms.

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Dash Churn

This is just one type of butter churn, there were many different types of churns for making butter. This particular type was driven by horse power and was a popular churn of its time, it was mainly used by larger producers.

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

A Fine Romance

This Ford Model T. Car, restored by Eamon Creamer, was owned by Larry Kiernan, Granard, (brother to Kitty Kiernan), Larry was also the owner of the Greville Arms Hotel, in Granard and the car was used during 1916 Rising and War of Independence. The car was also used for transport by Michael Collins on his visits to Granard for both political and romantic reasons!