For those of you out there interested in experimental archaeology or who, like me, are latent pyromaniacs who gave up smoking for the new year I'm happy to let you know about a unique opportunity.

Niall Kenny has organised an experimental charcoal making event which will be taking place in Meath, starting Sunday week. That's assuming the ground isn't frozen solid or covered in snow!

Niall has done a lot of research into early charcoal making in Ireland and hopes to re-create an archaeologically excavated charcoal pit kiln (and possibly a mound kiln as well). I'm tagging along and the hope is that if the experiment is successful I can use the resulting charcoal in my smelt in March.

Anyone interested is welcome to come along and have a look but it is essential that you let us know that you will be visiting as it takes place on private land.

More information can be found on the project's website.

Yesterday, myself and some obliging volunteers (Conor McDermott, Angela Wallace and Niall Kenny) went to a Bord na Móna bog in Offaly (with their permission of course!) looking for bog iron ore.

Bog iron ore is referred to in much of the archaeological literature on iron smelting in Ireland. It is often suggested as the primary source of iron in prehistory and medieval times but this assertion is rarely supported with scientific analysis (although this has changed in recent times and there are many sites now where chemical analysis of iron slag has indicated a bog source for the smelted ore). 

The assertion is a logical one, considering the lack of large, high quality mineral ore deposits in Ireland on the scale of those in Britain. Also, bog ore is supposed to be a renewable resource, replenishing over a few decades according to Tylecote, and thus providing a very useful source for small scale iron smelters.

Unfortunately very little is known about where and to what extent it occurs in Ireland (more is known about American, Canadian and Scandinavian bog ores). Discussions with Conor McDermott, a colleague of mine in the UCD School of Archaeology who had worked extensively in Irish bogs led to a plan to go collecting some of the 'bog iron' he had frequently observed in the field: with the goal of checking its iron content to test if it really is a viable ore and, if it is, of smelting it.

Our expedition was very successful, collecting almost 40KG of orange material from the bog (presumed bog ore pending XRF analysis). The material varied from a clay-like consistency to hard agglomerations similar in morphology to iron slag. All of it was very orange, presumably derived from oxidised iron. 

All of this is part of the SMELT 2010 project which will culminate in an experimental iron smelt in the National Heritage Park, Ferrycarrig, Co. Wexford.

This is the first in a series of videos just uploaded to YouTube that nicely demonstrate a number of Scandinavian flint knapping styles. 

Its harder than you might think to get started learning some traditional blacksmithing skills. Unlike in the UK and the US there isn't a vibrant artist-blacksmith tradition and beginner's blacksmithing courses don't seem to be common.

Saying that I have come across a few courses that are listed in the Iron Links section of my Links Page.  One interesting course is to be held in Enniscroe House in Co. Mayo from Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 27th September. Download a poster and more information here and here and information about staying in the house here.

This post is a call for help rather than anything informative I'm afraid. I have been thinking more and more recently about how beneficial (and interesting) it would be for my PhD research to do some experimental iron smelting and/or smithing. 

However, setting up a reconstructed bloomery iron furnace requires a lot of work. First of all I need to find a space where I can burn a fire at over 1000 degrees. It needs to be in an open space and somewhere where the noise of forging won't bother the neighbours (so not my back garden in the heart of Dublin!).

I also need to get hold of a significant amount of clay for the superstructre as well as charcoal and ore for the smelt. Ideally, the charcoal should be made from oak and it would be an interesting experiment in itself to try and produce it from scratch. The ore should probably come from a bog so if anyone out there knows of a bog with a good supply please do let me know. Of course, some practical experience would be good to have to but that's something I can't really borrow.

Surfing the internet I have found some useful information incluging, weirdly, how to smelt iron in a microwave. Extensive information about a series of smelting experiments (including video) based on viking technology can be found here as well as a related blog here.  A series of Danish experiments are documented online here with excellent photos but unfortunately all in Danish. Some related posts in english can be found here and here. Finally this site has a serie of links relating to the smelting of iron and other metals and my video section includes a smelt based on prehistoric British furnaces.

If anyone is interested in collaborating or contributing it would be great to hear from you. I'm sure I'm not the only person in Ireland interested in this sort of thing.