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Collections & Research --» Folk Collections --» Rural Buildings --»

COALISLAND SPADE MILL

Original location: Derry townland, Coalisland, County Tyrone.

Throughout much of Ireland it was the spade, not the plough, that was the main tool of cultivation. The majority of spade mills were in Ulster due to differences in the shapes of spades used in different parts of Ireland. Southern spade blades were open, requiring no welding and were made by local blacksmiths. In Ulster spades had welded sockets and to mass-produce these spade mills came into existence. The spade-maker was a highly skilled craftsman, able to make up to 120 different varieties of spades in up to five sizes, very often without needing reference to pattern books. Variations in spade characteristics were dictated by soil conditions, the job in hand and local tradition.

This spade mill was operated by four generations of the Patterson family until the early 1950s.

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