The Mountbellew old forge museum is housed within a 200 year old forge of the Mountbellew Demesne – one of the few remnants of the estate. The museum contains exhibits of the old forge equipment such as a huge bellows and anvil, the horseshoe from the famous horse ‘Bobbyjo’, old farm implements, and an ancient flat bottom wooden boat recovered from near Eskerstephen graveyard, which is near a thousand years old.
Apart from standing in a 200 year old forge building which was part of the Mountbellew Demesne museum, you will witness many different exhibits ranging from the equipment of the old forge such as a huge bellows and anvil, Bobbyjo’s horseshoe, old farm implements, and an ancient flat bottomed wooden boat a thousand years old which was recovered from near Eskerstephen graveyard.
The sizes of the old bellows used in the forge and the hefty wooden and metal machinery will leave you in awe and wonder to the fact that the simple churning of the milk required some strength. By contrast, the dugout boat is a delicate item with its oak shell (hollowed out from a single tree trunk) barely an inch thick in most places but in which you can only admire the sheer craftsmanship. A trip to the museum is well worth it!