Hands: Clay Pipe Works

RTÉ documentary series exploring the craft traditions of Ireland. hands.ie/
Irish Stoneware & Fireclays Ltd., Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.
Narrated by Diarmaid Ó Muirithe. Filmed in 1983.

[@SuperGorli]

man, that pipe potter put more love into that pipe junction than my entire company has for their customers since its foundation.

[@detroitos]

And more care than I did in the 18 years of my first marriage! 😛

[@joesephrodrigues]

dude was romancing the pipe, thats for sure

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

Paddy drives off with his unsecured load of clay pipes!

[@spaaggetii]

Probably need a new boss or stop watching 40 year old videos. Also transgender toilets are a must. Incase you are not a person.

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

@@spaaggetii Oh you get to define who and who isnt a person? Given up on doing that for races? or are you still that backward and biased and ignorant?

[@Kilograham89]

Thanks for holding on to this old documentary and posting it for our enjoyment its nice to see old industrial tradesman history.

[@gotany1]

while i was underpinning a house in north london, i remember digging into a land drain clay pipe about 2 meters down and i split it, and a trickle of water was coming out of the pipe, this irsh voice from above me at the edge of the hole said "be jesus you are going to regret that" with a little chuckle, he was right a bucket of water every 7 mins poured in, i still had 2 meters to dig down.

[@Sherwin657]

Irish Stoneware & Fireclays Limited was set up on Thursday the 12th of October 1950. Their current partial address is Dublin, and the company status is Dissolved with the company closing on Friday the 31st of October 2008.

[@filipbrecelj669]

do you know the address of the original factory site?

[@jashton8710]

Having worked with pvc pipe and installing underground services, I have a special admiration for this process. Now I'd like to see how these are installed.

[@Thomas63r2]

What a gem of a film of old traditions in making clay pipes.

[@Minimalist11Guy]

Thank you, I love to know how things are made, especially in the traditional way Ceramics was a huge leap forward in our history, I would love to have work in this factory. I would like to buy around 35 of these pipes for making terracotta wine racks. I do hope that this factory is still in full production. My respect has increased, for this skill.

[@Minalkra]

Not sure about the factory but a quick search online shows the business went under in 2008 or so.

[@greenfingersgardener822]

The junction is just so impressive. Their art in crafting is second to none, I hope these men can pass their experience down. For generations to come. I am just so amazed at the HANDS work...

[@ThisIsGoogle]

Dude nobody uses clay anymore for sewage works. There is nothing to pass on.

[@mci6830]

They'll be plenty of those in Ireland in use for a few decades yet.

[@aniquinstark4347]

@@ThisIsGoogle India does

[@Luckingsworth]

Dont worry, they didnt. Tradies have nobody to blame but themselves, for decades it was all a secret club and nobody shared any info. Now they all cry as their last tradesmen die off and nobody knows the work amymore. Seen it dozens of times.

[@bretdouglas9407]

Boyo How i love this! So much respect for the Irish workingman

[@robertsroberts1688]

bret douglas if only the same could be said for welshman as they practically built the british empire and fought its wars

[@robertsroberts1688]

not that thats great it was at the expense of their lives

[@6R4ONLINENEWS]

My father was from Carrickmacross and I have these on video. He knew some of the workers too. Great programme

[@brianhaygood183]

I could almost read the date on the film's ending as, I think, 1989. Were they making clay pipes at that time, or was this video shot before then, do you think?

[@seanfox6947]

@@brianhaygood183shot in 1982/3

[@K-Effect]

I wish I could work here. Also Pat the builder of those boxes around the 13:00 minute mark, he should have signature every one of his pieces with the date, works of art

[@suemcculley7449]

Beautiful wonderful work...I'm an American irish but my ancestors come from Ulster province....these videos connect me to them as I've always wanted tio go to Ireland....I'm 64 years of age and I've spent my entire life learning about my roots...

[@alundavies8402]

Buy Euros at the bureau de change and then when you have enough save your money for a ticket and then you can go back to the old home if your family but it might take a while

[@geraldneary1948]

You're a good one

[@oneofbillions691]

This video is one of the reasons I love KZbin and the net. Love learning things like this. I'm older, we had to drag our butts to the library to get info like this and chances of seeing a video like this were few and far between. I honestly think some of the pieces should be glazed and displayed, like the junction box.😁

[@Philly_Gamer]

Right! I throughly enjoyed watching this craftsman create that junction box. Totally neat

[@TheRAFlemingsMr]

This stuff requires training, skill, long apprenticeships and an eye to detail; in short, true craftsmen. I, like One of Billions, am older and would have never had the opportunity to see this w/o KZbin. Absolutely great stuff; thanks you @snadhghus!

[@sampsonsunny6298]

Bet, they close down this factory today. Zero emissions, right.

[@jj-eg5up]

@@sampsonsunny6298 thanks for adding such a well thought out and eloquent addition to the conversation. Comments like yours are true evidence that western civilization is on the upswing and true enlightenment is just around the corner. Applause for Sunny!

[@brokenrecord3523]

All that work. How much a jb cost?

[@JoeSolla]

Like the clay roof tiles in Miami that still had the hair marks from being shaped over the thighs of Cuban women, these men demonstrate the value of skilled labor in the product they make. Makes me proud to be Irish.

[@Evergreen1400]

Whoa I didn’t know that about the tile roofs in Miami that’s cool. I’m born and raised in Phoenix AZ we also do tile roofs

[@jahearme4259]

A work of ART!

[@Thelastminstrel]

This doc was made in 83, found this listing on the web; Irish Stoneware & Fireclays Limited was founded on 12 Oct 1950 and has its registered office in Dublin 2. The organisation's status is listed as "Dissolved". It had 3 directors at the time it closed.

[@DaBoomz13]

Like all traditional factories go and went. First the foreign money pours in, then the "efficiency"-managers come in and automatize everything they can and soon they decide that the whole factory should be shut down and production moved to China.

[@hydorah]

Yeah pipework like this is all plastic now - except really, really big stuff which is concrete

[@mike8631]

@@DaBoomz13 Usually because people like you moan about "how dear" everything has become.

[@DaBoomz13]

@@mike8631 Nowadays that kind of people tend to not care. "Everything is made in China, so what?"

[@greenlawnfarm5827]

You can tell they were poor cause they didnt even have any work clothes and had to work in old business suits.

[@macmcabee328]

A wonderful film. Thank you!

[@Scribe3168]

I’ve had to remove some of these that were placed in the ground in 1911. They’re still brand new.

[@sr633]

They are heavy. These guys make them seem lite. I have handled them.

[@Dinger154]

Hand/eye skills to amaze the gods of the fields. And me.

[@paulbroderick8438]

A plain and simple thank you. Love the series.

[@rosco4659]

Excellent craftmanship, every piece like a precision work of art.

[@uxtalzon]

Would love to get my hands on one of those transport carts. Those motors look beastly.

[@mrcrabass3669]

Single cylinder diesel Lister ,also common on cement mixers air cooled will run all day

[@martinthemillwright]

That Irish music hits you right in the feels.

[@tamasmihaly1]

Tough, skillful, and honest work.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

A simply fantastic documentary again. Thank you so much for uploading and sharing. By the way: I live nearby the Westerwald in Germany where the most quarries with white clay are. It is called the white gold of the western forrest. For hundreds of years there had been an enormous number of families and companies working with clay. For example making pottery, tiles, tobacco pipes, pipes, plant pots and all kinds of products. Some do even today. It is called " Kannenbäckerland" which means something like potbakercountry. It was/is famous especially for its salt glazed products. Tobacco pipe making for example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooaooIafpNZ6sK8

[@ryanbeard1119]

What is this white clay s mineralology

[@Mimulus2717]

I bet if a German couple had traveled around Germany in the 70s they could have made an equally fascinating series like this one. Anywhere in the world, as these traditions are as rich and varied as people are.

[@BobbyIronsights]

thank you. Love the series

[@ekuhlkamp]

Watching Pat McGivney cut that junction box... my god that man must see dimensions I can't even begin to understand.

[@BritishCigaretteMarty]

Thank you for posting these lovely videos. So interesting to watch. Makes me feel like I’m living in the wrong time

[@vincentlabrecque2275]

Thanks for uploading such precious jewels!

[@merak0044]

WoW! Hard work! Great piece of recorded history!

[@lerkzor]

I know they are speaking English, but I cann'ae understand a word of it! I have no idea how this ended up in my Recommended list, but I'm glad I watched it. Learned a few things.

[@nealbeard1]

I believe that they are discussing "Uylsses" by James Joyce. Asking the same old question "what the heck is it about?"

[@ccamen]

This was back when men were men and women were proud of it.

[@mwnciboo]

And a good Percentage of them were full blown alcoholics. Not everything was so rosie, but I'll admit they were tough.

[@FB-tq5ln]

@@mwnciboo Not every tradesman was an alcoholic. You did have a drink on pay day and Sunday morning/dinnertime. Drinking and heavy smoking was part of the culture then.

[@kalbs89]

No idea how this ended up as a KZbin recommendation… but I watched it.

[@stephenrice4554]

Great film , fine lads doing a good job and those pipes looked grand . Great video 👍🇬🇧

[@FB-tq5ln]

All tradesmen dresses like that. My own father always wore a tie with starch collar fresh everyday. Thats what you call a tradesman. All tradesmen believed in cleanliness when working. It was part of their training. You never bring dirt to work and you never bring it home. I have worked with clay pipes doing alteration cutting holes in live sewer pipe. The craft of these men is brilliant to watch, years of experience and knowledge. Brings back happy memories. Safety was always part of their work ethics and common sense. To many idiots with the wrong training now. That's why to many accidents happen. Health and safety my arse.

[@pngtime4comment]

i disagree

[@docwatson1134]

And here a year later. I appreciate the slow pace, they moved deliberately, and seemed utterly relaxed and focused on doing a excellent job on each piece. This is community, stable jobs like these helped keep society stable and the trust these men have with each other...it's wonderful. Modern OSHA rules are needed, in the more discordant and hurried workplace of distracted untrained workers we see today. Also to stop profit seeking business owners from causing accidents by creating unsafe conditions on purpose. ( Because it's cheaper that way) A universal set of rules are needed in highly industrialized manufacturing. Not all rules are good, they design them to fit all, even the dumbest among us. For a skilled worker, I think good practices and focus will serve better then excessive layers of safety equipment.

[@ВладимирУсатов-д6х]

Я сапожник. Уважаю работу руками!

[@akiko009]

Back when stuff was built to last. They'll be digging up these perfectly preserved clay pipes 10,000 years from now, next to the dust piles of pipes made from inferior materials.

[@aidy6000]

think the high density polymer pipes you get now would last longer 😅

[@akiko009]

@@aidy6000 I don't know. Whenever it comes to these polymer chains, I think that it's just one evolutionary step away from getting consumed by bacteria...

[@akiko009]

​@@aidy6000 If I recall right, the life expectancy for HDPE pipes is 50-100 years. In comparison there are some places that still use original Roman clay pipes. I'm not advocating that we should go back to clay, because there are a lot of very good reasons for HDPE, but building things to last effectively forever is not one of them.

[@AmishHitman73.Archive]

what excellent work

[@moonbongyang6460]

I had no idea i loved this. But i do. Thank you

[@KPearce57]

Now we waste our oil and make all the pipes from plastic, the good thing about clay pipes they come from the earth and will go back to the earth, unlike plastic.

[@cmasailor]

And they took pride in it.

[@2010gtoner]

I remember this old program. Good Stuff.

[@thelaw2174]

Life was hard back then. We have it so good today.

[@paulkerrigan9857]

Wonderful. Thanks for this.

[@Mimulus2717]

I have watched about a dozen of these (love them!) and I notice there does not appear to be any tradition of special workclothes. From flax growers pitching bundles, stone cutters or clayworkers: they all wear button down shirts, sweater vests, wool blazers. I am sure not Sunday best, but no jeans, Carharts or what I would think of as an uniform. I wonder why they did not keep the tradition of linen work shirts/tunics and less tailored pants for movement that they had in earlier centuries?

[@oskimac]

i was thinking about the same.

[@GoingtoHecq]

I bet a lot of it is clothing availability.

[@vs71597]

It’s simple! That’s literally all they had.

[@lyokofans]

Gotta love the chap causally smoking a pipe while working harder than most of us do today.

[@andrewszabo7342]

This was awesome 👌 Watched before bed, super relaxing 😌 Very informative 👏

[@mkivy]

A time gone...

[@nospoon4799]

1983 and tweed is still the thing.

[@mikethespike7579]

It'd be interesting to see how these pipes are manufactured now.

[@j-ch8787]

Hands... Handy works are so important. Tks for this nice vid which inspired me and made me learn a few things on clay work. Maybe I will try something close in my property, sometimes.

[@johnritchie4801]

Amazing craftsmanship

[@dankingjr.2088]

Very cool video. Thanks!

[@yetanotherjohn]

Beautiful! I'd pay extra for subtitles XD

[@jean-lucpicard5510]

10:32 He probably cut the cake at his wedding with that laser-like hand-eye coordination.

[@Fernando98850]

Amazed! Who else wants to bite those crafts?!

[@Elmerherrera89]

This was filmed on casual Friday, they are usually wearing tux and bow tie. Fascinating

[@sl0m0_]

What a handsome young canine

[@Forgotten_Foods]

30 years of experience shoveling clay

[@thomasschmidt7649]

You wouldn’t want to arm wrestle any of these blokes. 💪🏻

[@Keys879]

Factories of this time existed to fulfill a need. To solve a problem first and make a profit second. Today, it is the other way around. I see most companies only exist because they can and almost seem to create problems so they can solve them. How times have changed...

[@alva7701]

Llevo años y años mirando este vídeo por la razón que hay unos hombres hermosos. No cabe duda que hay hombres que apesar o sin importar su edad nunca dejan de ser hermosos. Nunca me cansaré de ver este vídeo. 😍

[@crawford323]

I visited a kiln in Vegan, Luzon, Philippines which has been in operation for over 200 years. It was a horizontal oven with ports at various distances from the heat source to place the green pottery. Very interesting

[@spacejihadist4246]

"Vigan"

[@crawford323]

@@spacejihadist4246 Oh goodness, yes, please forgive the misspelling. It is a wonderful city.

[@torbenhellborn3175]

Niice movie - nice narration nice thank's a LOT

[@darkhelmutt3417]

That song is the minstrel boy, isn’t it? This land was made for the pure and free.

[@petercartwright76]

Michael meagan should have put the soft clay between the 2 surfaces, this was an easy job for me at 20 years old

[@cfrincon]

Fascinating stuff

[@tdmjason]

They dress nicer at work than most Americans do going out.... including me lol

[@prun8893]

My great grandad......Seamus Armstrong.....invented the armstrong junction.

[@ML-sj3gi]

I don't even like wearing a jacket in an office, and the old guys used to wear them in factories doing hard labor.

[@pkwok6]

I had been meaning to find a place for custom made clay containers or pots to store in under the soil of a at grade planter, for storing rain water in my garden and let the water in the clay container slowly release the water back into the soil on a dry sunny day, wondering if there’s a specific kinda of clay for this usage ?

[@jacklennon1035]

OH DANNY BOY the Pipes the PIPES are caaaaaling

[@JK-zx3go]

Fascinating

[@detroitos]

A fork is used in the process of making the pipe and also used in the process of making what goes into the pipe!

[@citic101]

great ::::::::::::thanks

[@BowHunt1229]

The guy building those junction boxes knows his 💩

[@tinawaitokia8764]

We still make them like this today here in marton new zealand

[@johnedwardadams47]

I worked in the salt glazed sewage pipe industry at Stoneware Ltd. Dosthill nr Tamworth Staffordshire, the "Hands" documentary shows some almost identical processes of the manufacturing methods that I remember from my many happy years there,1962/78, the extensive works closed & was completely demolished in 1980, the arrival of PVC was the main reason

[@billirvine9078]

Great music.

[@lysdexsick]

Very very cool 👍!!!!

[@GoingtoHecq]

I couldn't understand most of their words nor any of their conversation. Also how do you use the short pipes that lack flares or any conical shape? Are they joined with slugs of clay or just pressed end to end?

[@kr-vx6je]

Real working men doing a real job, those were the days I remember. Not a yellow coat or stupid hat in sight. How times have changed!!

[@maineoutdoorsman677]

I rather watch this then something on tv

[@billykuan]

I hope someone is still doing this. Probably not most likely closed and moved to Asia or replaced with plastic.

[@borincod]

and what is the largest working kiln on British islands today?

[@jimsblendgarrison6884]

everyone of those old fellows could have been my grandpa or uncle or whatever... strange how rust belters all come from Ireland and Scotland and Germany..

[@liammcooper]

nice rendition of raglan road on the flute

[@colto2312]

imagine alll these people being paid enough to support a family, on their sole income.

[@ssss-df5qz]

A simple time before diversity and equality was imposed on us. Looks like bliss.

[@ricbarker4829]

It is not surprising that this industry is now defunct. Not only are are PVC pipes more durable, they are easily made by machines and quickly assembled with glues. No doubt they are a fraction of the cost as well. Watching the time it took to make some of these items by the workers is mind blowing compared to the automation we have today.

[@Apostate_ofmind]

more durable my ass. Clay pipes can work for centuries and be degraded easely, while plastic takes centuries to completely dissolve in the ground but mere years to start to degrade.

[@scottanderson3751]

No micro plastics in your brain from clay pipes either ✌️

[@sindobrandnew]

Where are they now... I wonder.

[@g6qwerty]

Oh man their accents at the end.

[@greggv8]

Amazing how all this was none the old ways into the 1980's. I wonder why they made the pipe pieces in such short lengths when the extruder could make them much longer? 24:43 Ma brouette est en feu!

[@marekogarek6329]

That's a good question, especially since they don't have bell ends, and fittings are expensive.

[@alimacallan3814]

I think they are chimney flue liners, they did say near the start that they were one of the main products. Flue liners sit inside a flue, and are jointed with fire cement, usually.

[@futurevegan8617]

I don't know this to be the case, but I would guess that if you made the pipes any longer, they would crack underground like concrete does seemingly no matter what.

[@ryanjones7681]

Imagine working a manual labor job in a suit and jacket. 😅 Surprised no one had a tie on 🤣🤣

[@stoneybowmann]

It's narrated by Rick Steves doing an Irish impression.

[@jorisvb]

how are they connected?

[@bretzeletouffeur7401]

Epic

[@jakubjakub188]

what did the youth do when these old grandparents worked hard ??

[@cartoonhead9222]

God damn it looks so delicious, cut me off a slice

[@andrii_zavhosp]

Does this plant still work?