Unlocking secrets from stone
- Eric has great respect for nature and the origins of his materials
- Both skill and physical strength are required in his work
- He is part of the Irish heritage craft tradition
Eric Byrne is an award-winning master stone mason and has exhibited internationally, at such prestigious shows as New York Now, TENT London, Maison et Objet Paris and Design Island Dublin. The craft has been in his family for over half a century and was passed down to Eric by his father. Stone carving is a tradition in Ireland dating back to the megalithic monument of Newgrange which is older than the Pyramids of Egypt. Eric has developed a particular interest in indigenous stone, such as Connemara marble, Kilkenny limestone and Wicklow granite. With each piece, he cuts through hundreds of millions of years of the Earth’s history recorded in the stone. His homeware brings treasures from nature into the home in a way that respects the ancestry and stories of his materials.
Interview
- What is special about the materials you work with?
- I work with a lot of stones found naturally in Ireland. Each of these stones has individual traits and require different techniques to showcase their individual qualities. To learn this I have been on a journey of skills development that has often surprised me, but never fails to fascinate me.
- Where do you source your stones from?
- I source most of my materials from Irish quarries. I visit quarries to hand-pick the stone. Sometimes I work with European stone. In the case of my Marmar range, I sourced white Sivec marble from North Macedonia and combined it with rich green Connemara marble.
- What is your process when working with stone?
- I will start out with a plan and select the stone to suit the project. However, as you begin to work the marble, carving through layers and variation created over millions of years, the stone reveals ‘little secrets’. It is important to be faithful to these and I try to let the stone guide me.
- Can you describe something about your work that people don’t normally know?
- People often look at items made from marble and granite and appreciate their beauty but do not realise that the stone in these items was formed millions of years ago when the earth was just forming as a habitable planet. The stone that I work with is truly ancient.
Eric Byrne is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1993
Where
Eric Byrne
