Near this site stood the forge known as Murphy's of Crinnaughtaun. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it served all of Affane and the surrounding area. At least seven generations of the Murphy family worked in this trade. It was a substantial forge with 3 to 4 fires in operation simultaneously. Making shoes for horses, mending farm machinery and making gates are but some of the jobs that were done at the forge.
This forge was seen as a community centre, helped by it's location at the junction of 3 roads. Card games were regularly played here, with players changing according to when their horses were shoed and ready to go.
The forge was used as a school house by the famous teacher Padraig Denn and as an early form of a dentist's surgery, due to the strong pincers the blacksmith's had at their disposal.
Near this spot, at Flynn's of Lacken stood a soup kitchen during the Famine in the mid 19th century. The two districts of Affane and Modeligo had over 4,0000 inhabitants before the Great Famine. This great disaster reduced the population of Modeligo by 33% and Affane by 27%.
Around 1 million people died in Ireland during the famine of 1845 to 1850. Another million emigrated to England, North America and elsewhere in order to try and find a better life for themselves and their families.
NOTE: BYOP.