‘People are going back to basics’: blacksmith on introducing tourists to Ireland’s Iron Age past

‘People are going back to basics’: blacksmith on introducing tourists to Ireland’s Iron Age past

Ironmonger Tom King in his forge which is part of his immersive ancient Celtic experience, in Bohermeen, Co Meath. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Ironmonger Tom King heats metal in his forge for US tourists Terri Winter and Darlene Molitor. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne

On a farm that straddles one of the five ancient roadways that radiate from the Hill of Tara, once the seat of the high kings of Ireland, a master blacksmith is offering visitors a hands-on glimpse into the country’s Celtic past.

Tom King – known as An Gobha, the Blacksmith of the Boyne Valley to his guests – traded in a 20-year career as a design engineer during the pandemic to take visitors beyond the static tombs and m