Today brought something that felt both unexpected and inevitable, a reminder that the paths we take often circle back on themselves. This afternoon, I caught up with an old acquaintance from my kayaking days, someone I hadn’t seen in well over a decade. Back then, our lives revolved around rivers, rapids, and the simple thrill of the paddle. Today, the conversation flowed in a very different direction: LEGO, AI, and how he is developing his corner of Mill Lane in Palmerstown.
What began as a casual catch-up quickly turned into an agreement to barter. He had lots of LEGO; I could provide AI consultancy. No money exchanged hands, just a recognition that we both had something valuable to offer. It was refreshing, proof that the barter economy still has its place, especially as Redmond’s Forge begins to gather momentum. Every brick counts, but so does every skill, and the promise that Luke and Rose would spend time acquiring kayak skills, and the upside of this, I would get to spend more time kayaking.
Barter Economy at the Forge
In many ways, barter feels like the most natural currency for a project like this. The LEGO museum is not just about sets, bricks, or minifigures. It’s about community, contribution, and creativity. Exchanging AI consultancy for LEGO isn’t just a transaction, it’s a partnership. It’s another step in building a network of people invested in the success of Redmond’s Forge.
As the museum ramps up, there will be countless opportunities to trade time, ideas, and expertise. A barter economy makes everyone a stakeholder. Watch out later for a post on another exciting LEGO build, a partnership, and competition.
The Day’s Collections
Alongside the barter, there was plenty of LEGO movement yesterday with two separate collections. The first stop in Tallaght with Scott, where we secured set 75365 LEGO Star Wars – Yavin 4 Rebel Base, which is perfect to be included in our MOC for the Dublin Brick Con show where we are presenting our Escape from Exgorth, and Yavin Rebel Base 6ft high, 4ft wide mega build – Star Wars Dioramas. From there it was on to Newcastle, Co. Dublin, from someone who is now becoming a regular supplier, and we collected a batch of LEGO Friends sets, our third visit to this house and a welcome return. The final stop was in Palmerstown with Shane Cronin, (more to follow) who generously donated a big blue crate of LEGO to the museum. Inside were a couple of Ferrari Speed Champions cars for 2019, a Steve Rogers Captain America set, and plenty of mixed LEGO, some even carefully sorted by colour.
Three very different pickups, each adding unique bricks and stories to the Forge’s growing collection.
Children’s Stories from County to County
I talked with my cousin and new ideas bubbled up. What if the adventures we’ve been documenting, the hauls, the county trips, the family road stories, could be reformatted into children’s books? I had recently published 6 AI e-books on Kindle over the last 4 months, (one I’m very proud of on how Irish SMEs should embrace AI), but the same framework I built would work for these type of books, with the option to have them beautifully bound and displayed.
Luke and Rose are already the stars of these journeys. They’ve criss-crossed 17 out of Ireland’s 32 counties so far, each trip not just about collecting LEGO but about creating memories. Imagine 32 stories, one for each county, where Luke and Rose’s adventures are brought to life. It also ties in with creating:
- 32 blog posts by county.
- 32 children’s books – in hardback form available to read in the Redmond’s Forge museum.
- 32 exhibits, in the museum itself, one for each county journey – and things to do while there.
- 1 e-book with 32 chapters, one for each county.
The opening exhibition at Redmond’s Forge Brick Museum would be a map of Ireland in bricks and stories: every county represented by a display, the hauls, and the tales. Over time, exhibits would evolve into themed displays, cityscapes, space dioramas, Star Wars battles, and more, but this first exhibition could be a testament to the journey that started it all.
But my cousin took this conversation and idea further, made it his, made it generic, and now has a superb business idea that he must follow up on, and any ways that I can help, I will.
The Surprise Riverbank Sauna in Palmerstown
On the travels in Palmerstown as I pulled up to collect the Lego, I stumbled upon something unexpected along the riverbank, in Palmerstown of all places. The Riverbank Sauna & Café, a wood-fired sauna tucked right beside the Liffey with a cosy café alongside. For around €15–20 a session, you can spend an hour in the heat and then take the plunge straight into the river itself. Is it value for money? Well, it combines the wellbeing benefits of sauna, improved circulation, recovery, detox, and deep relaxation, with the wildness of the Liffey, creating a ritual that feels both invigorating and rooted in place.
What makes it even more exciting is how this ties into the broader ecosystem of the area. Just next door to the Canoe Centre and rafting.ie, both of which have become cornerstones for paddlers, adventurers, and families looking for something unique to do on the river. Having been a long-time member of WWKC.net (Wildwater Kayak Club), the ICU (Irish Canoe Union), and having had countless dealings with Mark Downey (the kayaker now the cyclist) at the bottom of Mill Lane, I know just how central this stretch of river is to Ireland’s paddling community. To now see Shane Cronin and his team bringing a new layer of innovation and hospitality to the banks of the Liffey is refreshingly brilliant. Together, the Canoe Centre, rafting.ie, and the Riverbank Sauna & Café form a trio that makes this southside of Palmerstown weir at the end of Mill Lane a true hub for river culture: adventure, recovery, and community all in one place.
Help Along the Way
Every great project needs a team, and today that team potentially grew again. Two more volunteers stepped forward (or to be more accurate were volunteered by their mother), both 19 years old, both studying aviation. They’ve offered to give up some of their Saturdays to help build and set up exhibits. The enthusiasm of young people for this project never ceases to amaze me.
It’s not just about LEGO; it’s about connections. About being part of something new, something physical, something meaningful. For them, for me, and hopefully soon, for everyone who walks through the museum doors.
Looking Ahead
Day 14 ended with big questions still echoing in my mind:
- Will there be 32 blog posts by county?
- Will there be 32 personalised children’s books, chronicling Luke and Rose’s LEGO adventures?
- Will there be one grand opening exhibition with 32 sections, one for every county we’ve crossed to find these bricks?
The answer may be yes to all three. What I do know is that Redmond’s Forge continues to grow faster than I imagined. From barter trades to volunteer builders, from hauls to stories, from counties to exhibits, every step builds on the last.
And just like on the river, it’s the current that carries you forward.
