Louis Mulcahy Pottery, Dingle

There are a lot of reasons to go to Dingle; the scenery, the dolphin, the annual Other Voices concert . . . but be sure if you make a visit to stop in at Louis Mulcahy pottery around the peninsula.

Easily reached by car or bike from Dingle town, the Louis Mulcahy pottery workshop is an extremely successful home-grown venture producing some of the nicest pottery in Ireland. Browse through the showrooms and marvel over the variety of pottery items, from tea sets to vases larger than you are. The pottery here is very earthy with deep, vibrant colours. It’s powerful looking stuff and it isn’t cheap, but every piece is hand-made and a lot are originals.

Okay, here’s the cool thing: you can try your hand at throwing a pot. No, not at the wall, but on a potter’s wheel. During most of the day, there’s a potter on hand to give you tips. There are two potter’s wheels, you just put on a protective apron, dip you hand in a bowl of water and, operating the spinning surface in front of you with your feet, toss a lump of clay in the middle and try to make it into something vaguely symmetrical.

It’s free and you get to keep your creation as well. If you wish to have it fired in the kiln it’s €15 and they’ll ship the finished product to you for €10.

Ever since reading Lloyd Alexander’s Black Cauldron series as a kid (the part where Taran discovers the joy of pottery), I have wanted to try this. I suppose for most people it will have been the scene in Ghost that perked their interest . . . in any case, it’s cool. Yes, those are my hands there doing my best to keep clay from splattering the walls. Definately stop in if you’re in Dingle and . . . wait for it . . . give it a spin.

Oh, I just kill me.