Stephen and Philip Pearce
The Shanagarry Range
The original Shanagarry Pottery was started in 1953 by Philip Pearce following a long tradition of earthenware pottery in East Cork. Philip was a gentle man with a very clear simple idea. He wanted to make simple pottery for everyday use at a reasonable price. Stephen began his apprenticeship under his father Philip Pearce in 1962, when he helped develop the Shanagarry range of earthenware. Today that striking and distinctive black and white design is recognised around the world and demand for it has increased consistently over the years since it was first produced. The clay from which everything in Shanagarry is made is dug on the banks of the river Blackwater and on the site of a nineteenth-century Pottery. Willie Green, who in his eighties taught Philip to make pottery, was the last of many generations of Youghal potters and why our present skills have been handed down for almost three hundred years.
The Classic Collection
In 1973 Stephen Pearce set up his own Pottery, a stone’s throw from the family home and using the same local clay as his father. Stephen’s Classic range is even simpler than his father’s Shanagarry range. His trademark natural terracotta with a splash of white glaze was influenced by a year spent in Japan in the mid sixties studying under Kanhesaige Toyo, one of Japan’s most famous potters. Over the years Stephen has expanded the ranges but his philosophy has remained the same: simple, simple, useful, useful...
All of the pottery is made from organic local clay, which we wash, press & age in our Pottery. The production processes used employ traditional techniques that have existed for over 250 years in the Shanagarry area.
Each pot is individually crafted, going through 18 skilled hand processes before arriving in your care.
Our products are NSAI certified and comply with Irish Legislation on Food Contact Materials, S.I. No.587 of 2007