Story Bowl 

Images on Story Bowl 

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Copper was first smelted in Ireland around 2500 BCE at the Ross Island mines in Kerry. Miners would splinter copper ore from the rock face by setting fires against it.  Ore was dug into the ground and bellows were used to increase the heat and smelt the copper. The metal was then melted in stone crucibles and cast in moulds. The copper could also be beaten into bars or sheets for functional ware and tools. 
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The techniques of chasing and repoussé can be traced back to the Bronze Age in Ireland. These methods are used to create intricate designs by hammering from the back (repoussé) to create raised relief, and hammering from the front (chasing) to refine details. 
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Many ancient skills rely on the human hand for their survival. Eva was first introduced to the techniques of chasing and repoussé as a child by her father Kevin Lynch and subsequently refined these skills under master silversmith Peter Donovan.
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The copper for Story Bowl was reclaimed from the roof of the Bain Ryans house in County Laois. 
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The sheet copper being worked into the components for Story Bowl using hand-skills passed down through generations. 
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Copper is one of the most important metals in the energy transition needed to fight climate change. However, the average grades of copper found in mines have decreased, meaning mines have gotten deeper and miners have to find clever ways to extract. Modern extraction methods are destructive to our ecosystems and landscapes. It takes an average of 1000 years for the land to be fully regenerated post-industrial mining.
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Gortdrum quarry in County Tipperary stands atop the site of the last operating, and only large-scale commercial, copper mine in Ireland. Stone carver James Horan and Eva Lynch selected the chalcopyrite rock (copper ore) for this bowl at Gortdrum and transported it to Jame’s studio to be carved.