Throwing Shapes: new pottery studio coming to The Liberties

A pottery studio called “Throwing Shapes” is set to open on Mill Street this month. 

Siofra Murdock has lived in Dublin 8 since 2018, so when she decided to set up her own pottery studio she always “wanted to keep it local”. 

Murdock first began to think of the pottery studio in the summer of 2022. She remarked that “two friends from Portland, Oregon came to visit and told me how they have opened a community ceramic studio in Portland, and it just sounded so great”. She continued saying that she had always wanted to own her own business and decided to “take the leap”. 

Since then Murdock has been busy, travelling to Barcelona to study ceramics and complete a training course for potters who want to set up their own studio. After she completed her studies in Spain, Murdock moved to London to work at Turning Earth, a community ceramic studio. 

The shop is located on Mill Street in Dublin 8. Murdock remarks that it is “such a wonderful place” and she “fell in love” the moment she walked in. Murdock and the pottery studio “are the first tenants as it has been vacant since completion in 2022”. 

Murdock said that she had a kiln in her art room in school which she spent a lot of time using. Although she specialised in painting when she was studying Fine Art in Manchester she experimented with clay when she was on Erasmus in Barcelona. Her aunt is a potter which made her fascinated with the process for quite some time. 

However, Murdock reveals that the bug for pottery only really began when she “was gifted a throwing course a few years back”. Murdock admits that she has been addicted to it ever since. 

This is why Murdock will offer newbies the chance to try it out. She mentions that they will be “running ‘taster’ classes on a Friday which are three-hour classes and a bit of fun for complete newbies.” 

Murdock also revealed that there will be “quarterly markets in the studio starting in September […] the studio will turn into a market for the whole weekend and all of our members will be able to sell their work. So, if you want to support your local craftspeople, please keep an eye on our Instagram. 

If you want any other info on the studio click here.