Hot smoke billows in the air and a lantern is lighting around an old hayshed in the tranquil Meath countryside that once housed round bales on a beef farm.
Nowadays, it is the entrance to the forge of An Gobha, aka Tom King, the blacksmith of the Boyne Valley. He sets Irish Country Living to work at the anvil, hammering a sun pendant, just like the ones he will bring to the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the sacred Hill of Uisneach, in nearby Westmeath, on 10 May.
Clad in sheepskins with a hat and a leather apron, Tom brings to mind, in stature and presence, a character from ancient Ireland. He is an expert storyteller, who loves to talk of ancient myths and tales; all of which he believes are part of the tapestry of Ireland and need to be protected and preserved.
Having grown up with these stories all around him and inspired by many of the great nearby monuments like Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Loughcrew and the Hill of Tara, it’s not difficult to see where Tom’s interest came from.
An Gobha, aka Tom King, the Blacksmith of the Boyne Valley preparing for Bealtaine Fire Festival at Uisneach, Co Westmeath.
/ Keith Wiseman
“The OPW tells you about ancient Ireland; I bring it to life. That’s the beauty of what I do,” says Tom from Durhamstown, close to Navan. It is here he hosts immersive experiences for guests from all over the world, something he compares to our own version of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.
All around the shed are pieces of the iron art which Tom has forged since he started learning the skills of the traditional blacksmith during the pandemic. A design engineer for 17 years, he was always good with his hands, but there was also an artistic mindset that really came to the fore during the lockdown when he started to make Celtic jewellery.
After posting some pictures on social media, things took off and he ended up sending pieces to Singapore, America, New Zealand, Europe and Canada.
From there, Tom grasped the opportunity to work for himself and to promote our “mythical past”, which he says is in his very DNA. He is located a mile from the Hill of Faughan where, it is said, Niall of the Nine Hostages was laid to rest.
At Showcase 2023, Tom won the overall best product award for his striking St Brigid’s crosses, which are now stocked in Avoca stores. His pendants, spirals and weaponry or sculptural pieces have also found many new fans in the interim and he has had many one-off commissions.
A scene from the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Ireland's mythical centre, the Hill of Uisneach, near Killare in Co Westmeath.
The seed for taking his art up a notch was planted by his friend Davóg Rynne, a first cousin of Christy Moore. He was bringing someone to the forge, and he asked if Tom had a costume. Suddenly, with a few props, An Gobha, or the Blacksmith, was born.
Tom admits he is “in his element” with a crowd to entertain and gets a kick from every tour.
In between the visits and making new pieces, he is bursting with excitement about the “magical” Bealtaine Fire Festival at the sacred Hill of Uisneach, to where he will bring his mobile forge and banqueting thrones, stag’s head and fire torches.
This unique celebration revives the ancient tradition of lighting a great fire to welcome the summer. The festival was reignited in recent years by the Clarke family, who farm the mythical site, and the spectacular flames can be seen across 20 counties.
A spectacular aerial shot of the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Hill of Uisneach in Co Westmeath. /Anthony Murphy
Bealtaine fires
Asked what the ancient feast of Bealtaine means to him, Tom smiles widely as he answers. “Imagine the clans, they have got through the winter; they have passed the Imbolc period, and now they’re navigating the period between Imbolc and Bealtaine. The equinox has passed, and there is a grand stretch in the evening. There is a wonderful sense of spring, and there is a sense of growth. Things are beginning to liven up, shall we say.”
He believes the clans would make the pilgrimage in the hope that “their investment in the land” or their crops would be bountiful, and they would do so along one of the five so-called smooth roads or corridors to ancient Tara. As it happens, we are on Bohermeen, which Tom explains means ‘smooth road’ and would have been the corridor to the west used by Queen Meadbh.
“If you think about it, the Bealtaine Fire Festival is paying homage to the great goddess Ériu, the sovereignty goddess of Ireland, the old world where we must till the land, work the land and respect the land. Everything is coming from the land. So, all the clans are putting the seed into the land; they are getting ready for the crops to grow and flourish before the harvest, Lúnasa, the collecting of everything.
“There would be a mother and father of a celebration where clans come to unite, sing, dance, trade, battle and have this merriment.”
A stunning shot of the fire procession at the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Hill of Uisneach last year. /Anthony Murphy
The Hill of Uisneach, one of Ireland’s six royal sites, is currently on the shortlist for UNESCO World Heritage status. It is regarded as the sacred centre of Ireland and traditionally, the fires in every home and hearth across the land would be extinguished in anticipation of a new flame from Uisneach’s Bealtaine fire.
“Once the fire would be lit at Uisneach, others were started and the sky lit up at Tara, Slane, and all over the remaining parts of Ireland,” explains Tom.
“If you have a satellite image of Ireland on that night of Bealtaine to see the fires lit at the beacons – it’s a special moment. In the context of what I do as a living historical figure, what’s changed with fire in 6,000 years? Absolutely nothing.
“Thousands of years ago the clans would have sat down with two leather bags, working the bellows, generating that air pulse or air charge, channelling it into a little fire with a ring of stones, and the process would have taken a long time, longer, but nonetheless similarly[to now]. Get the iron hot, shape it, finish it, and job done.”
Working rhythmically to make a spiral pendant, Tom describes the craft as his “therapy or a tonic”, to the sounds of the sparky fire. Visitors get to work the anvil and tongs, this hands-on aspect is something people particularly enjoy.
A gregarious figure, it’s easy to see how Tom would hold the interest of a crowd. He points to benches in the shed where he serves his ‘early bard menu’. His number one dish is ‘Niall of the Nine Sausages’.
He then takes me on a wander into a peaceful woodland, which he weaves into his stories before heading on to Robertstown House, a former workhouse, which he hopes to incorporate into an enhanced experience in the future.
Magical experience
But for now, he is gearing up for what he dubs a “late vigil” on Uisneach – and the way he speaks about this place is magical.
“What you feel on that hill is like what Shane MacGowan said about his wife, Victoria: ‘There are not enough words in the English vocabulary to describe it. I can possibly describe it as Gaeilge’.
“You could say something similar about the experience on the Hill of Uisneach, which is an incredibly sacred land, a sacred space.
“Every hour the dynamic, the feeling of the hill changes, the light changes, the wind, the whole presence. Even when the twilight falls you gets this panoramic view, a 360-degree visual, and you can see the twinkling of the lights in the far distance.”
Imagine, continues Tom, a gathering 6,000 years ago where people travelled huge distances to celebrate living and life and new beginnings.
“Of course, it’s almost like a reset,” Tom says when asked if there has been a resurgence in interest in the traditions of ancient Ireland since the pandemic.
“When we focus on who we are, what we are and what we have, we realise we are so blessed in so many ways.
“It’s something we want to hold onto and something we should be very proud of, and I want to keep instilling that into people.”
See uisneach.ie/bealtaine and an_gobha on Instagram.
Hot smoke billows in the air and a lantern is lighting around an old hayshed in the tranquil Meath countryside that once housed round bales on a beef farm.
Nowadays, it is the entrance to the forge of An Gobha, aka Tom King, the blacksmith of the Boyne Valley. He sets Irish Country Living to work at the anvil, hammering a sun pendant, just like the ones he will bring to the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the sacred Hill of Uisneach, in nearby Westmeath, on 10 May.
Clad in sheepskins with a hat and a leather apron, Tom brings to mind, in stature and presence, a character from ancient Ireland. He is an expert storyteller, who loves to talk of ancient myths and tales; all of which he believes are part of the tapestry of Ireland and need to be protected and preserved.
Having grown up with these stories all around him and inspired by many of the great nearby monuments like Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Loughcrew and the Hill of Tara, it’s not difficult to see where Tom’s interest came from.
An Gobha, aka Tom King, the Blacksmith of the Boyne Valley preparing for Bealtaine Fire Festival at Uisneach, Co Westmeath.
/ Keith Wiseman
“The OPW tells you about ancient Ireland; I bring it to life. That’s the beauty of what I do,” says Tom from Durhamstown, close to Navan. It is here he hosts immersive experiences for guests from all over the world, something he compares to our own version of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.
All around the shed are pieces of the iron art which Tom has forged since he started learning the skills of the traditional blacksmith during the pandemic. A design engineer for 17 years, he was always good with his hands, but there was also an artistic mindset that really came to the fore during the lockdown when he started to make Celtic jewellery.
After posting some pictures on social media, things took off and he ended up sending pieces to Singapore, America, New Zealand, Europe and Canada.
From there, Tom grasped the opportunity to work for himself and to promote our “mythical past”, which he says is in his very DNA. He is located a mile from the Hill of Faughan where, it is said, Niall of the Nine Hostages was laid to rest.
At Showcase 2023, Tom won the overall best product award for his striking St Brigid’s crosses, which are now stocked in Avoca stores. His pendants, spirals and weaponry or sculptural pieces have also found many new fans in the interim and he has had many one-off commissions.
A scene from the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Ireland's mythical centre, the Hill of Uisneach, near Killare in Co Westmeath.
The seed for taking his art up a notch was planted by his friend Davóg Rynne, a first cousin of Christy Moore. He was bringing someone to the forge, and he asked if Tom had a costume. Suddenly, with a few props, An Gobha, or the Blacksmith, was born.
Tom admits he is “in his element” with a crowd to entertain and gets a kick from every tour.
In between the visits and making new pieces, he is bursting with excitement about the “magical” Bealtaine Fire Festival at the sacred Hill of Uisneach, to where he will bring his mobile forge and banqueting thrones, stag’s head and fire torches.
This unique celebration revives the ancient tradition of lighting a great fire to welcome the summer. The festival was reignited in recent years by the Clarke family, who farm the mythical site, and the spectacular flames can be seen across 20 counties.
A spectacular aerial shot of the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Hill of Uisneach in Co Westmeath. /Anthony Murphy
Bealtaine fires
Asked what the ancient feast of Bealtaine means to him, Tom smiles widely as he answers. “Imagine the clans, they have got through the winter; they have passed the Imbolc period, and now they’re navigating the period between Imbolc and Bealtaine. The equinox has passed, and there is a grand stretch in the evening. There is a wonderful sense of spring, and there is a sense of growth. Things are beginning to liven up, shall we say.”
He believes the clans would make the pilgrimage in the hope that “their investment in the land” or their crops would be bountiful, and they would do so along one of the five so-called smooth roads or corridors to ancient Tara. As it happens, we are on Bohermeen, which Tom explains means ‘smooth road’ and would have been the corridor to the west used by Queen Meadbh.
“If you think about it, the Bealtaine Fire Festival is paying homage to the great goddess Ériu, the sovereignty goddess of Ireland, the old world where we must till the land, work the land and respect the land. Everything is coming from the land. So, all the clans are putting the seed into the land; they are getting ready for the crops to grow and flourish before the harvest, Lúnasa, the collecting of everything.
“There would be a mother and father of a celebration where clans come to unite, sing, dance, trade, battle and have this merriment.”
A stunning shot of the fire procession at the Bealtaine Fire Festival at the Hill of Uisneach last year. /Anthony Murphy
The Hill of Uisneach, one of Ireland’s six royal sites, is currently on the shortlist for UNESCO World Heritage status. It is regarded as the sacred centre of Ireland and traditionally, the fires in every home and hearth across the land would be extinguished in anticipation of a new flame from Uisneach’s Bealtaine fire.
“Once the fire would be lit at Uisneach, others were started and the sky lit up at Tara, Slane, and all over the remaining parts of Ireland,” explains Tom.
“If you have a satellite image of Ireland on that night of Bealtaine to see the fires lit at the beacons – it’s a special moment. In the context of what I do as a living historical figure, what’s changed with fire in 6,000 years? Absolutely nothing.
“Thousands of years ago the clans would have sat down with two leather bags, working the bellows, generating that air pulse or air charge, channelling it into a little fire with a ring of stones, and the process would have taken a long time, longer, but nonetheless similarly[to now]. Get the iron hot, shape it, finish it, and job done.”
Working rhythmically to make a spiral pendant, Tom describes the craft as his “therapy or a tonic”, to the sounds of the sparky fire. Visitors get to work the anvil and tongs, this hands-on aspect is something people particularly enjoy.
A gregarious figure, it’s easy to see how Tom would hold the interest of a crowd. He points to benches in the shed where he serves his ‘early bard menu’. His number one dish is ‘Niall of the Nine Sausages’.
He then takes me on a wander into a peaceful woodland, which he weaves into his stories before heading on to Robertstown House, a former workhouse, which he hopes to incorporate into an enhanced experience in the future.
Magical experience
But for now, he is gearing up for what he dubs a “late vigil” on Uisneach – and the way he speaks about this place is magical.
“What you feel on that hill is like what Shane MacGowan said about his wife, Victoria: ‘There are not enough words in the English vocabulary to describe it. I can possibly describe it as Gaeilge’.
“You could say something similar about the experience on the Hill of Uisneach, which is an incredibly sacred land, a sacred space.
“Every hour the dynamic, the feeling of the hill changes, the light changes, the wind, the whole presence. Even when the twilight falls you gets this panoramic view, a 360-degree visual, and you can see the twinkling of the lights in the far distance.”
Imagine, continues Tom, a gathering 6,000 years ago where people travelled huge distances to celebrate living and life and new beginnings.
“Of course, it’s almost like a reset,” Tom says when asked if there has been a resurgence in interest in the traditions of ancient Ireland since the pandemic.
“When we focus on who we are, what we are and what we have, we realise we are so blessed in so many ways.
“It’s something we want to hold onto and something we should be very proud of, and I want to keep instilling that into people.”
See uisneach.ie/bealtaine and an_gobha on Instagram.
SHARING OPTIONS