Mud Ireland Pottery
Josh Lyness, a potter from Lurgan, Northern Ireland, and his venture, Mud Ireland Pottery. In this feature, delve into Josh's journey from animation to ceramics, his passion for crafting unique pots, and the crucial role played by his wife, Holly, in the business's growth.
Edition 3 Feature
Words by: Josh Lyness
Location: Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Photo Credit: ©Sohaile McKee @vizzcreative
My name is Josh Lyness and I’m a potter. Together with my wife Holly, who looks after the business end, we run Mud Ireland Pottery.
I’ve been a ceramicist for the past five years, having originally studied the Foundation Studies programme at Ulster University with the goal of becoming an animator. But in my foundation year, I fell in love with ceramics and swapped my computer for the clay. I was immediately drawn by the tangible, tactile nature of the craft. I’d always been fascinated with the process, but from the first time that I sat at the potter’s wheel, I have never looked back. I worked as an apprentice at Ballydougan Pottery for three years before graduating with a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in Ceramics, Jewellery and Silversmithing and starting my own small business in my hometown of Lurgan, in Northern Ireland.