Felix Randal worked as a farrier, which is someone who creates and fits horseshoes. The speaker's choice of an epithet—"the farrier"—in the first sentence establishes a strong relationship between the guy and his vocation. This is reinforced by the fact that "farrier" is also the title of the poem's last line. Randal was born on January 1st, 1873, in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland. His parents were John Randal, a farmer, and Mary Ann McCafferty. He had two siblings: a brother named Michael and a sister named Mary. When he was young, his family moved to Liverpool, England, where John found work as a ship's caulker. They lived in several different neighborhoods in Liverpool, but Felix always enjoyed going to the beach, so they probably didn't spend much time there if any at all. He began working at a shoe shop when he was only eleven years old. Two years later, he became a partner in the business. However, he left after only three years to go into politics. He never looked back though, and soon became one of the most powerful men in the city. In 1903, he was elected mayor of Liverpool. He held this position for ten years, until he decided to try and become president of the United States.