The Last Tinker – Tom McDonnell

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DONIE TARRANT went to Finglas in north west Dublin to meet THOMAS MCDONNELL, a tin smith keeping the craft alive. Thomas invites Donie into his home to demonstrate the art of tinsmithing, an important part of Ireland’s craft past. Donie captures Thomas moulding a length of Tin into a mug, and Thomas explains how he learned the art from his father. There are estimated to be only two Tinkers left in Ireland. They also discuss the word ‘Tinker’, its origins and its racist connotations on relation to travelers.

[First broadcast in Jun 2023, Thomas McDonnell has sinced passed away]

Duration: 28'43" DATE: June 23, 2023
Interviewer:Donie Tarrant
Producer:Donie Tarrant
Interviewee:Thomas McDonagh
Themes:Irish Life & Culture
Keywords:Tinker, Tinkering, Thomas McDonagh, Travellers, Traveller Culture, Craft
LocationFinglas Time Period:2023
Type:Sound Language:English
Creator:Near FM Publisher:Near FM
Identifier:NEARFM_20230623_NST_001
Rights:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.