22/08/2026
There’s something very special about opening the doors of the old forge behind O’Driscoll’s Bar for just a couple of hours on Sunday.
For Richard, his brothers and sisters, and the wider O’Driscoll family, this is a very personal and poignant moment.
O’Driscoll’s Bar in Tinnahinch has been part of our family’s story for at least seven generations, and the old forge, sitting behind remains a treasured part of the family’s private heritage, a quiet reminder of the generations who lived and worked here before us.
The forge was built and worked in by Richard’s great-grandfather James Boland, and later by his beloved father Dick O’Driscoll.
Over the many years, nature has gradually reclaimed parts of this special place, but for Sunday we have carefully tried to give a sense of what the forge would once have been like, not to recreate it, but simply to help tell its story and personally honour the people who worked within its walls.
For a couple of hours as part of the Graiguenamanagh Town of Books Festival, we will open its weathered, time ravaged door and share a small, rare glimpse of this very special piece of the O’Driscoll family history.
It seems particularly fitting that a place once filled with the sound and skill of the blacksmith’s craft should come to life again on a day celebrating Ireland’s traditional crafts.
Heritage researcher Shem Caulfield will share the story of County Kilkenny’s traditional wrought iron gates and the skilled blacksmiths who crafted them, while master stonecutter and storyteller Martin Matthews will present Stories in Stone — an exploration of the ancient craft of stone carving and the traditions that have shaped our landscape for centuries.
A chance to remember the hands that worked here, the generations who came before us, and the craftsmanship and stories that deserve to be carried forward.
📍 O’Driscoll’s Bar, Tinnahinch
📅 Sunday 23rd August
🕛 12 noon
🥐 Light brunch before the talks
Richard, Niamh and the O’Driscoll family would be delighted to welcome you.
