Victor Kiernan of The Old Forge at Kiernan’s Cross, Carriglass Killoe, County Longford, servicing people of Longford for three generations. The business started out as a blacksmiths with his Grandfather, shoeing horses, told me during that time there was three blacksmiths in Longford at one time. Victor was a local politician that was well thought of, he spoke freely that he was in his mid 80s, but you would not think it, he worked at the crossroads in the family business since he was fourteen. Went to Melview school, the same school I went too, and he told me he was in Pascal Quinn’s class, Pascal was my principal when I was in school. Victors principle was Master Truick back in the day, his own sons and daughters went to Melview also. Victor tells me Pascal was a very good soccer player, at school he was a very keen football man. Pascal then went on to be teacher in the school, he was well thought of Pascal by all students and remembered fondly. We had many famous nights here in the bar and lounge, Declan Nerney, Morrisey, Billy Hughes band, Joe Dolan and The Mighty Avon boys, and my own name sake the Late Oliver Croghan would have played here just to name a few. We also use to have a carnival here, The Killoe Carnival as it was known. We have the Shop there now and petrol pumps, as well as bar and lounge that runs with the new covid restrictions. The early days when shoeing horses was the business here, there was no electricity, same when I was going to school, no electricity. The thing in them days was all about horses, every farmer had two and maybe an ass and a pony. Was a fulltime job, you could be shoeing ten to twelve horses every day, there was no tractors in that time. I remember the first tractor came to this area, was owned by Pat Kiernan, the number on it was 2020, a Ferguson, at one time that man delivered bottles of milk to everyman in Longford Town. Talking about covid, its a very hard thing to make it out at all, we suffered like every one, we only opened just recently with the big marquee at the side there, the pubs got a bad doing with it, no mistake about it, also pubs in Ballinalee and Drumlish. We have the shop there, that’s been okay, kept going. On his site there is a Jolly Chipper van, he says opens four nights a week, a man up from Legan that runs it, and does a great trade with the beef burger’s chicken burgers and great chips, there that good he says that they coming out in taxis to it from town.