Coarse Ware

Carley’s Bridge Potteries, located near Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, claims to be Ireland’s oldest pottery, having been founded in the 1650’s, and still working today, producing earthenware pottery for well over 300 years. The pottery makes bulb bowls, seed pans, chimney cowls, and all shapes of plain and decorative garden pots.

The pottery is located beside the ‘marl field’. Marl is the local name for the clay used; specifically a blue marl. The process begins with clay being dug, preferably in the summer. It’s left to weather and rest to improve its plasticity. After this, it is put through a ‘pug mill’ to give the clay strength and remove air pockets. Previously it also made buttermilk crocks and milk or cream pans, as demand necessitated.

Potters digging marl at Carley’s Bridge, Co. Wexford. Paddy Murphy prefers to dig his clay by hand to avoid contamination from the gritty subsoil, which could cause a pot to explode during firing.
Copyright David Shaw-Smith

He skilfully forms the pot on the spinning wheel by opening out the ball of clay until it resembles a pot, making sure it is kept damp and slippery. A skilled potter can make a large garden pot in about five minutes, including any simple embossed decoration.


A pot must be evenly air dried before firing to prevent cracking and subsequent destruction in the kiln. A large pot can take from five to six days to dry. Once dry, it’s ready for the kiln. Kilns vary in size and fuel used. The kiln at
Carley’s Bridge is a downdraught one, fed by coal. It can take about three days to fill; stacking pots upside down, the largest ones at the top, where the heat is greatest. The firing commences and the temperature is raised to the correct 1200° centigrade.

The kiln is then left to slowly cool, which can take several days. The cooled pots are taken out, ready for use. From cold grey clay to cheery terracotta pots.

Fired, unglazed earthenware terracotta pots from the kiln.
Copyright David Shaw-Smith

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