Clayfest 2018 at the Irish National Heritage Park, Co. Wexford

8th September 2018

In just over two weeks time, this quiet corner of the Irish National Heritage Park will be buzzing with earth building enthusiasts as Clayfest 2018 gets under way. We will build experimental structures and sculptural installations. We will learn heritage crafts and artistic skills. And this empty space will be filled with mini-buildings and walls and lots of great memories. So what is Clayfest all about anyway?

Many of you know that I have been involved with Earth Building UK and Ireland for a number of years now and since 2015, we have been active in Ireland. The UK crew have hosted an earth building conference every year since 2009. But they began to realise that many people who work with earth don't necessarily want to sit in a lecture hall all day long; they want to be hands-on and learn from each other in a more practical way. And so the first Clayfest was born. It was held in Errol in Fife, Scotland ... and was such a success that it was decided that Clayfest should become an annual event.

Clayfest 2018 will kick off on Monday, 24th September, at the Heritage Park in Co. Wexford, with workshops in many different earth building techniques, such as Artistry in Clay with natural building legends Bill and Athena Steen, Experiments in Earth Block with Tom Morton (the brains behind the first Clayfest) and Becky Little (RebEarth), and Stone and Earth Mortar with local mason Brian Tobin.

All of the workshops at Clayfest take place side by side. So even if you sign up for the Upcycled Cob Dome Workshop, you can still eavesdrop in on Wattle-and-Daub and keep an eye on your neighbours' progress with their Clay-Hemp walls. We'll be teaching Mudwall Repair, by the way. There's no need to worry about the weather, either. All workshops will be under cover.

And if you feel that committing to a full day's workshop is too much to begin with, why not pop along to our drop-in Cob Meitheal. It's free. While you won't be taught the specifics of earth building, it will be an opportunity for you to experience the process in an informal way. It might inspire you to sign up for a workshop after all.

Clayfest is about experimentation. It's a chance for both participants and workshop leaders to play with earth and test its limits. It has led to some pretty amazing structures being built over the years.

But Clayfest is not just about the building, it's about the connections, about finding your tribe, about meeting like-minded people and forging new friendships. It's about establishing mud networks all over the world.

Clayfest is hands-on. It is an opportunity to get mucky with some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields. Earth is a very tactile material; to really understand it, you have got to literally get to grips with it.

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Pop-ups have become something of a tradition. Do you have a project you want to present? An experiment you want to carry out? A demonstration you want to share? Every day, we invite all participants to bring something to the table. We have tried (and failed) to set clay-coated straw bales on fire, we have mastered an adobe-making machine, we have examined the role of fibres in earth mixes, we have learned about earth building in Estonia, Croatia, Slovakia, Iceland and Cyprus. If you have a pop-up idea, we would love to give you a platform.

Of course, Clayfest isn't just about the hands-on stuff. The conference is still a hugely important part of the festival. This year, it will be held in the Crannóg at the Heritage Park, which is itself an earth building. We are delighted that this, the 10th EBUKI Conference, will be held in an all-natural building for the first time, on Friday 28th September. And it will be just a stone's throw from Clayfest's workshop area .... so everyone attending the conference can see the fruits of our labour. The theme this year is The Secret Life of Earth. With 13 speakers from Ireland, the UK, Europe and U.S., there really is something for everyone. Check out the full line-up here. And in the evening, the 'auditorium' will be transformed into a dining hall and dance floor when the feast and céilí kick off.

We are also very excited to have eight properties opening their doors on our tour day, Saturday 29th September. From beautifully appointed mudwall cottages to farmhouses under renovation to 13th century churches, and even a castle (!), there is something for eveyone on this tour. Some of the buildings will feature in the conference, so this a great opportunity to see them in the flesh.

If you haven't already booked a place on any of our seven workshops, what are you waiting for? Click on the links below for more information and to buy your ticket.

Clayfest 2018: General Information

Artisty in Clay with Bill and Athena Steen

Clay-Hemp Walls with Tom Woolley

Experiments in Earth Block with Becky Little and Tom Morton

Mudwall Repair with Féile Butler and Colin Ritchie

Stone and Earth Mortar with Brian Tobin

Upcycled Cob Dome with Lizzie Wynn and Louise Halestrap

Wattle and Daub with Niall Miller and Joe Gowran

EBUKI Conference: The Secret Life of Earth

Céilí in the Crannóg

 

Thanks to our sponsors for helping make Clayfest 2018 happen:

 

See you at the Heritage Park in a few weeks! I can't wait to see what we create together!

 

Copyright 2018, Féile Butler - Mud and Wood