Forging the Past: Traditional Iron Smelting Festival Returns to the Burren
One of Europe’s most unique heritage festivals is set to return to the heart of the Burren this August 23rd and 24th, as traditional iron smelters, blacksmiths and other traditional craftspeople gather for the fourth Caherconnell International Furnace Festival. Held at the ancient Caherconnell Stone Fort in County Clare—a site steeped in over a thousand years of history—the festival will feature live demonstrations of medieval iron smelting. The historic ring fort, once the stronghold of Gaelic chieftains, will become a living, open-air museum where raw Irish iron ore is transformed into replicas of artefacts such as arrowheads, knives, and belt buckles found during archaeological digs on-site. The two-day event showcases bloomery iron, the form of iron used in Ireland from 500 BC to 1500 AD—an essential material in everything from weapons of war to agricultural tools and domestic items. “This is more than a festival—it’s a live experiment in archaeology,”…
Burren Festival Forges Links With Ireland’s Medieval Past
More than 50 blacksmiths and traditional iron smelters from across Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA will participate in a showcase of medieval iron smelting and forging in the heart of the Burren in County Clare on the weekend of August 26th and 27th.
Geopark Hosts Heritage Week Events
The geology and history of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark and the pre-historic discoveries made throughout its unique karst landscape will be discussed as part of a series of Heritage Week talks getting underway this weekend.