Hand-build ceramics shaped by the granite hills of Baltinglass, as part of The Wicklow Arc.

The Wicklow Arc is a Made in Wicklow project, linking craft workshops from Baltinglass to Blessington and arcing across to Arklow, all running this Autumn and building towards a joint showcase at Powerscourt in 2027.

Our theme this year is the Wicklow Mountains — the granite spine that runs the length of the county, dividing east from west while quietly connecting every community along its slopes. For centuries these hills have shaped daily life here: the stone that built field walls and hillforts, the sheep that grazed the uplands and gave rise to a wool tradition still practised today, the rivers that rise in the peaks and carry their way down to the coast. We're using that landscape as the thread linking each workshop into one story — from the granite foothills and wool traditions of the west, through the county's craft communities, to where the hills finally meet the sea at Arklow in the east, a town with its own deep-rooted pottery tradition and once home to the renowned Arklow Pottery works.

This Saturday morning strand of the Arc sits right where the Wicklow Mountains begin their granite sweep down toward the plains — a landscape shaped by stone, hill-farming walls, and an ancient hillfort close by.

Hosted in the main house at Russborough, home to Eleanor Swan's own ceramics studio, this six-session workshop invites participants into hand-building techniques inspired by that granite landscape, exploring form, texture and the shapes the hills themselves take. Sessions run Saturday mornings, 10am to 1pm. No experience necessary — all welcome. Cost of €75 is for the 6 sessions - so incredible value !

This project is supported by the LEADER Rural Development Programme 2023 to 2027, Wicklow County Council, Wicklow Arts Office and County Wicklow Partnership.

Description supplied by the event organiser.