Woodturner’s new exhibition

When acclaimed Tipperary woodturner Martin Ryan launches his latest exhibition at Cashel Library next Saturday morning, it will be both a special occasion and a milestone moment for the master craftsman. From his pristine back-garden workshop at Clonboo, between Templetuohy and Clonmore in mid-Tipperary, Martin has produced a variety of beautifully ornate and unique wooden pieces such as bowls and vases, always crafted to perfection and often inspired by cultural influences. His works have become widely regarded and even internationally renowned, featuring at exhibitions both locally and on one occasion in London. This time, however, he is redefining the limits of what is possible.

The signature item on display in Cashel will be a towering and alluring lamp, composed of three different woods and crafted meticulously over the past few months. It is a step beyond what Martin is used to. He has grown accustomed to fashioning smaller, more compact items, often with visual images such as the Rock of Cashel and Holycross Abbey built into them. However, he says his desire on this occasion was to create something more “functional” and also to explore his own abilities.

It was far from a spur-of-the-moment decision though. He began work on this particular item back in March, but like all of his pieces, this lamp was years in the making. “The idea for a piece can be going around in my head for a long time, for a couple of years, before I put chisel to timber,” he says.

Martin is on a constant quest for perfection. Invariably, he achieves it. A quick tour of his private studio, located just beside his workshop, where a collection of his pieces are housed, is enough to convince your correspondent that this segmented woodturner has a genuine gift. He is, in many respects, an artist, and he admits that from very early on in his life he knew he possessed an elemental creative flair.

After completing a woodturning course some years ago, he developed a range of personalised designs, skills and techniques. From there, he has never looked back, winning a series of prestigious awards and supplying pieces to equally prestigious clients, including Trump International Hotel & Golf Links in Doonbeg. The walls of his studio are decorated with photographs of his most memorable moments. In one he is pictured alongside An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Emotional bond

As well as being a skilled woodturner, Martin is also an excellent raconteur. There is a story to each of his pieces in terms of where the designs initially came from and the challenges he encountered while working on them. He invests huge time and effort into crafting each piece. For the past few months he has devoted himself entirely to the lamp, rising early and working late, meticulously crafting it piece by piece. In all of his pieces the interior is visually identical to the exterior.

He puts just as much care into the inside as he does the outside.

There is, he says, an “emotional bond” with every work he creates. He never wants to sell a piece once it is complete, but eventually convinces himself to part ways with it. There is a certain joy, he says, in seeing others experience and appreciate his work. Martin is constantly seeking new ideas and new inspirations – he is in a more or less constant state of invention. Even during the process of creating the lamp, he says that new designs were beginning to crystallise in his mind. As long as his lathe keeps spinning, Martin will keep chiselling and creating. You suspect he was born to do so.