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National Design & Craft Gallery

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National Design & Craft Gallery

Kilkenny's best-kept cultural secret, showing some of the most exciting contemporary craft and desig

30/05/2026

Work by Rory Shearer currently showing here at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny.

Rory was born in Northern Ireland and trained in ceramics at Belfast Art College, graduating in 1976. Deeply influenced by The Leach Tradition and the philosophies of Eastern pottery, his work combines craftsmanship, purpose, and expressive freedom. Living amidst the rugged Northern Irish landscape, Shearer draws inspiration from its beauty, strength, and unpredictability. His ceramics balance energy and discipline, reflecting both rural industry and personal vision. Using slips and oxides, he evokes the colours and textures of place with vitality and honesty. Now at the height of his career, he continues to create work that resonates nationally and internationally.

Rory is one of the 43 skilled contemporary Irish ceramic artists showing with us in our current exhibition titled From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay.

28/05/2026

Ceramic artist, Claire Finlay, from Mayo, pictured here with her piece titled Snow Hare. Claires work is on display here at the National Design & Craft Gallery, as part of our current exhibition From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay.

The exhibition runs until 18th July.

26/05/2026

Sonja Guenther, pictured here with her work in the From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay exhibition.

Sonja is a potter and ceramic artist based in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. Originally from Germany, she moved to Ireland in 1995 and studied at CCAD, followed by the DCCI’s pottery skills course, Thomastown, where she won the Crafts Council of Ireland’s Student of the Year award. Working in ceramics for over 20 years, Sonja creates slab-built stoneware houses that explore architectural character and movement.

Sonja is one of 43 Irish, contemporary, ceramic artists, currently on display here at the National Design & Craft Gallery.

23/05/2026

Eye catching, marbled stoneware piece by Bernadette Tuite, titled Mizen Head.

Bernadette is a ceramic artist based in Cork, Ireland. Her sculptural vessels are inspired by the Irish coastline and informed by her background as a former boat captain. Journeying by sea to remote coves along the Cork coast, she gathers materials and inspiration directly from the shore. Using found coastal clays and sediments, Tuite creates tactile, contemplative forms that reflect the textures and energy of place. A graduate of the Pottery Skills and Design Course, Kilkenny, she lectures in ceramics at CCAD and is a studio member at Backwater Artists’ Studios, Cork.

Bernadettes work is on display in our current exhibition here at the National Design & Craft Gallery. The exhibition is titled From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay and features works by 43 skilled ceramic artists.

21/05/2026

Helena Brennan, pictured here with her work from the 'From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay' exhibition.

Helena is one of the 43 skilled Irish ceramics artists whose works are currently on display here at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny.

The exhibition runs until 18th July.

18/05/2026

From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay exhibition, continues it's run here at the National Design and Craft Gallery.

From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay brings together forty-three of Ireland’s leading ceramic artists, representing over a thousand years of combined experience, creativity, and craftsmanship. Collectively, they embody the extraordinary strength, diversity, and vitality of Irish ceramics today. Each artist brings a unique voice and individual vision to the exhibition, yet all are united by a profound and shared respect for material, process, and place—an understanding that clay is not simply a medium, but a living connection between earth, maker, and culture.

Together, these artists trace the evolution of Irish clay from its deep and ancient local roots to its confident presence on the international stage. Their practices span generations, techniques, and philosophies, reflecting both continuity and innovation within the field. The featured artists have worked and exhibited extensively—across Ireland and throughout the world, including Europe, the United States, South America, Japan, China and India. These international engagements underscore the global significance of Irish ceramics today: a discipline that is proudly grounded in locality while actively contributing to worldwide conversations in art, design, material culture, and sustainability.

The exhibition runs until 18th July and is well worth a visit.

16/05/2026

Ceramic artist Jane Jermyn from Waterford pictured here with her cast porcelain work titled Tumbling Radiolaria.

Janes work is here with us along with 42 other Irish contemporary ceramic artists, in our current exhibition From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay.

The exhibition is here at the National Design & Craft Gallery until the 18th July.

14/05/2026

Sarah Farrelly pictured here with one of her pieces in the 'From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay' exhibition.

Sarah lives and works in Cork.She creates one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures, often depicting native Irish animals. Each work is hand-built, meticulously painted, and high-fired to achieve vitrification.

You can see Sarahs work along with 42 other contemporary ceramic artists works here in our current exhibition at the National Design & Craft Gallery.

The exhibition runs until the 18th July.

12/05/2026

Work by ceramic artist Charlie Mahon from Cork.
Title: Saltwater Epaulettes
White earthenware with glazes

You can see Charlies work here at the National Design & Craft Gallery, as part of our current exhibition, From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay.

The exhibition brings together forty-three of Ireland’s leading ceramic artists, representing over a thousand years of combined experience, creativity, and craftsmanship.

09/05/2026

Trevor Woods, pictured here with some of his beautiful works.

Trevor is one of 43 ceramic artists showing here at the National Design & Craft Gallery Kilkenny, as part of our current exhibition titled 'From the Ground Up - The Transformation of Irish Clay'.

A stunning exhibition of ceramic works and well worth a visit.

Address

Castle Yard
Kilkenny
R95DCX2

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 5:30pm
Thursday	10am - 5:30pm
Friday	10am - 5:30pm
Saturday	10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+353830908264

Website

http://www.ndcg.ie/

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