Sir, – The letters on Dublin smells brought memories of country smells to my mind. The fresh smell of newly mown hay, the powerful smell of farm yard manure just scattered on a field.
However, the smell that has stayed with me for half a century is the smell in John Glavey’s forge in Ahascragh, Co Galway, just next door to the home of a world famous milliner.
When John was shoeing a horse he heated the shoe in a furnace, trimmed the horses’ hooves then applied the hot shoe to the hoof. That’s when this distinctive smell occurred. It was a pleasant smell. I suppose it was a singe smell when the red-hot horseshoe came in contact with the hoof.The hoof was singed/scorched. There was no pain involved for the horse and after tapping in a few nails the horse had new shoes and was ready to clip-clop off home. – Yours, etc,
ANN CHAPMAN,
Longford.