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FOUNDER OF 9 Yard Ceramics, Luke O’Callaghan is a potter based in Louisburgh on the Atlantic coast. Having previously worked as a technician in the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and as an art handler at The National Gallery of Ireland, he moved with his wife, ceramic artist Jennifer Hickey, to Co. Mayo during the pandemic. Here he tells Ruth O’Connor about his work.
Tell us more about yourself and your business?
I studied ceramic design in NCAD and graduated in 2002. Shortly afterwards I became a technician at IMMA before joining the art handling team at the National Gallery of Ireland where I worked until 2022. I always made things in my spare time. My wife is the ceramic artist Jennifer Hickey who works in porcelain so I was lucky enough to always have access to a kiln.
Living in Dublin our spare room was the site of much creativity but by 2017 we had two little daughters so our spare room studio had to go. I built a studio in the backyard of our house in Inchicore. Tiny as it was, it still took up most of the backyard but did mean that I could use the wheel and start throwing pots again – something that was far too messy to attempt to do in the house.
By 2019 I had settled on a design for a bowl that I was happy with and the design for a mug followed. I approached the owners of Irish Design Shop, Laura and Clare, and dropped my first order in to them in January 2020. Then came the pandemic to re-centre our view – forcing us to reevaluate where we wanted to be. Myself, Jennifer and our children relocated to Louisburgh, Co, Mayo in March 2022 and there I began to focus on ceramics full-time.
How did you come up with the name 9 Yard Ceramics?
Our house in Inchicore in Dublin was number 9 and our yard became our studio so the business, 9 Yard Ceramics, pretty much named itself.
What do you find most challenging as a creative?
The biggest challenge for me is marketing my work. To be successful in the craft sector a maker also has to be creating content 24/7 and the products I make are so labour intensive that I don’t have time to maintain the standard of my work and to create content as well.
What sets your products apart from other similar items on the market?
I make very minimal ceramics using traditional methods. My work is all about simplicity and clean lines with a focus on function but also on retaining a warmth or a comfort associated with traditional handmade pottery. Unlike most potters, I rely heavily on the clay itself for the finished look of my work by either using a clear glaze or leaving the outside of a piece unglazed so the tactile surface of the clay is exposed.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m mostly drawn to design objects that are utilitarian. I’m attracted to objects that were created purely for their function but which functioned so well that they have become design icons in their own right. Take for example the classic white and blue enamel mug or metal moka coffee pot – neither of them are quintessentially beautiful objects but you know they’ll do a great job and last forever. I’ve always been happiest when I’m making something that serves a purpose. If I can make a piece that functions well, and feels like you’ll have it forever, then I’m happy.
Describe your workspace.
One of the deciding factors for our move to Louisburgh was that we would have the space to build a proper studio in which both myself and my wife could work at the same time. Now we both have either end of a large studio with plenty of space for, amongst other things, the kilns, slab rollers, large workbench and wheels. The studio is bright, warm and spacious enough to run classes in. It’s really well insulated and we have a stove for the winter months – however, if the kilns are firing, we don’t need it.
Describe a typical working day.
There is no typical working day! There are many processes to making pottery and I work on my own so, on any given day, I could be preparing clay, throwing pots, packing kilns, packing orders, doing post office runs or doing administration. The list is endless and the combinations are infinite.
If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
I’d probably be working with timber – it’s my other favourite material. Like clay, timber is extremely versatile, but there’s an immediacy to making something from wood that I really like.
What’s next for you and your work in 2025?
I’ve been experimenting by adding oxides to my clay to bring a warmer, more earthy colour to the finished pieces. Some of the results have been really beautiful so I’m excited to create new work with a completely different look.
Pieces by Luke O’Callaghan at 9 Yard Ceramics are available from Irish Design Shop in Dublin and Ardmore Pottery in Waterford. Find 9 Yard Ceramics at the Westport Makers Market at the Town Hall in Westport every Saturday for the summer season from 11am to 5pm. 9yardceramics.com
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