White marl clay makes up the lake-bed of Lough Gara and had many uses in prehistory and indeed into the historic period. This abundant source of clay would have undoubtedly been used for building structures, mould-making, the construction of furnaces, and ceramics. 

This workshop, which took place over two days in May, was hosted by local artist Nollaig Molloy. Firstly a quantity of clay was dug, then Nollaig took the group through the various stages of processing the clay into something that could be worked- removing sediment, plant material, and excess moisture. The second part of the workshop took place a few weeks later, having allowed sufficient time for the clay to dry out somewhat. In this, participants made vessels of various sizes which were then fired in a kiln.