Burren arrives in Newbridge Silverware
An example of Potadóir pottery now available at Newbridge Silverware Store
A little piece of the Burren has arrived in County Kildare with the announcement that Irish ceramics brand Potadóir is now available at Newbridge Silverware, with a collection of its distinctive handmade pottery on display and available to purchase at the Newbridge Silverware Lifestyle Store.
Created by Clare potter Kevin Keane, Potadóir is a small-batch Irish ceramics brand inspired by the landscape, colours and natural materials of the west of Ireland. Every piece is individually handmade and deliberately different, with the collection celebrating the marks, textures and imperfections that come with making something entirely by hand.
The arrival of Potadóir at Newbridge Silverware brings together two Irish names with a shared appreciation for craft, creativity and design.
Newbridge Silverware has been synonymous with Irish craftsmanship since 1934 and today its flagship Lifestyle Store showcases jewellery, homeware, gifts and carefully selected Irish and international design.
Potadóir's ceramics are made using three different clay bodies, with Kevin drawing much of his inspiration from the Burren and the wider Clare landscape.
Small quantities of locally sourced minerals are incorporated decoratively into some of the work, while layered clays evoke the changing colours of the Clare landscape, from the greys and earthy tones of Burren stone to the colours of crops and the extraordinary sunsets of the west coast.
The outside of many of the pieces is deliberately left unglazed, allowing people to actually feel the clay and its natural texture in their hands.
The result is pottery that is tactile, organic and very deliberately removed from mass production. No two pieces are exactly the same.
Kevin describes the work as carrying "the spirit of the Burren", and that connection to place is central to Potadóir. His Burren collection, for example, combines stoneware clays inspired by the landscape and is wheel-thrown by hand, meaning natural variations occur from piece to piece. There are 13 designs within the wider collection, with prices starting from €25, making the pieces accessible as individual Irish-made gifts as well as pieces to collect for the home.
But behind Potadóir is also a story about changing direction and choosing a different pace of life. Originally trained as a lawyer, Kevin's journey into pottery followed a serious car accident which prompted him to reassess what he wanted from life. He subsequently took a beginner's pottery course and became captivated by working with clay. In 2023, he travelled overland from Ireland to Morocco, stopping along the way to learn from different potters, studios and masterclasses in France, Portugal and Spain, before spending time in Oslo where Scandinavian design further influenced his work. He eventually returned to Clare and Potadóir was born.
For Potadóir, the new partnership with Newbridge Silverware represents an important opportunity to introduce the work to a wider audience and to place contemporary Irish handmade ceramics within one of the country's best-known destinations for craft and design.
