About
Expert smelters and blacksmiths from around the world are gathering in the small mining area of Glenravel in the Antrim hills to bring traditional iron skills back to life.
Smelting iron from iron ore is up there with discovery of fire and invention of the wheel in terms of the progression of humanity, so much so there was an entire era of history (The Iron Age) named after it!. The Glenravel Furnace Festival, will pay fitting tribute to that heritage, right in the heart of what was once the centre of iron ore mining in the North of Ireland, a key input to the industrial revolution.
Over the festival we will take mud and clay from the land around us and build Iron Age era furnaces, we will take iron ore from the Glenravel mines, smelt it with charcoal made from Irish trees, create iron and forge some traditional items. This is a traditional skill you do not get to see every day
New this year we will host Forged In Ireland’s very first Northern Forge-In. Forged In Ireland are a not-for-profit association focused on promoting traditional, heritage, and historic metal crafts in Ireland. This will be their very first Forge-In in Northern Ireland and smiths from all over the country will descend on Glenravel to collaborate, teach, and learn in a lively, open-forge setting.
Book Tickets
Facilities
Accessibility
- Activities accessible for visitors with disabilities
- All areas accessible to disabled visitors
- Guide dogs permitted
Children & Infants
- Accept children (Minimum age)
Establishment Features
- Accommodation nearby
- Lessons/courses available
- Outdoor Event
- Talks
Event Facilities
- Booking Required
Parking & Transport
- Frequent bus services
- On site parking
- Station nearby
