Thornmore is the conceptualisation of a knife brand by me, Michael

I have always had an interest in knives since a young age; I still have the first pocket knives my parents gave me when I was a young boy.

My interest was so fierce that my parents even arranged for me to spend a day with Irish knife maker Rory Connor when I was around the age of 10 or 11. Yes, I agree, it was a rather bizarre way for a 10/11 year-old to spend the day, but I loved every second of it!

My grandfathers both carried pocket knives, as did other older male members of my family. The name ‘Thornmore’ is a blend of family names from influential family members who also served in the Armed Forces and knew just how invaluable a good knife was.

Having grown up spending a lot of time in the British countryside I began to see just how valuable having a small pocket knife could be for all sorts of different tasks. When helping farmers or gamekeepers I was always intrigued to know what type of knife they carried and how the different styles varied depending on what task they used the knife for.

The idea of Thornmore was formed when out for dinner one evening. I was talking about the idea of making a small batch of knives that would be able to withstand the rigours of being used everyday for tough tasks, whilst still being able to hold an edge fine enough to perform delicate tasks.

The more I obsessed with this idea, the more it grew from creating a ‘small batch of knives for close friends’ to building an actual knife brand.

I hope this has given you more of an insight into Thornmore and my history.