Omeath Potter enjoying his 'life at the wheel'

Ciaran O'Conboirne is hard at work throwing pots in his pottery studio just outside Omeath with Wilson Pickett's 'In the Midnight Hour' the music of choice, when Newry.ie happens to call by. A perfect example of being happy in your work, O'Conboirne is right at home in his chosen profession at Celtic Clays. It's been a twisty road to Omeath but it's easy to see the dedication and the sheer variety of different clay crafted products combined with his original artwork is a testament to this.

Around 1995 O'Conboirne came back from America after saving up a few pound and started work as a potter in in his dads garage in Ardglass. He is most appreciative of Deirdre Gallagher a "legend of a woman" who helped spur him to get started. O'Conboirne explains "County Down was the very first county that pioneered this Crafts Collective idea and Deirdre Gallagher was in charge. She got all these craft producers together including myself and brought us all down to Dublin to Showcase Ireland. That was the starting point of the whole business."

When the Euro came in he decided he wanted to move to the Euro zone and went the length and breadth of Ireland looking for the perfect place to set up shop, eventually settling in Carlingford which he hadn't even realised was just down the road all along!

He set up his studio in Carlingford but the crash In 2008 meant no orders were coming in and he had to shut up shop. "I had 4 peoples wages to pay, plus myself and the rates, and whenever you have no orders coming in you can't keep that system in operation, so I had no choice but to close the doors." 

In the following eight years he never made a pot and even went to university resulting in him becoming a teacher but as he says himself "I couldn't hack it."

O'Conboirne explained "I was thinking this is boll****, I was meant to do this. It always ate away at me but I was determined that economics can't beat me here - I have to do this. I draw celtic designs as well and I needed to be able to do it."

Thankfully he got back into the pottery business and has been based just on the Newry side of Omeath this past few years. Celtic Clays at Drummullagh, Omeath has an stunning range of celtic inspired pottery and original art work. These days it's just himself at work but the passion is very much still there, something matched by his love of sea swimming. No better place than Carlingford Lough to indulge in both.

The Celtic Clays shop is open Monday to Friday 10 - 6pm and on Saturday. There's plates and platters, cups and goblets, jugs and vases, tea pots and candle pots and much more.

Check out their website at https://celticclays.com and Celtic Clays products can be bought at Newgrange and Newcastle Tourist Office.