O'Gowna Studios

19/05/2026

On a drab Tuesday, where would the doorway take you? The key to opening the Door is the most powerful tool we have. It needs to be fed on a continuous basis. Take some time and feed your imagination and let it take you away…..

08/05/2026

16/04/2026

Today’s work in the studio. Dublin Landmarks The GPO — Heart of the Rising
On O’Connell Street, in the centre of Dublin, stands a building that has watched the city change, fall, and rise again — the General Post Office.
At first glance, it is a place of ordinary things. Letters posted. Parcels sent. Messages passing from one hand to another. A building built for connection.
But in the spring of 1916, it became something more.
On Easter Monday, as the city moved through what seemed like another ordinary day, a small group of men and women stepped forward and changed the course of Irish history. They chose this place — solid, central, unshaken — and from its steps, the Proclamation of the Republic was read aloud.
The GPO became their headquarters. Inside its walls, decisions were made not just for a moment, but for a nation yet to be born.
Outside, the city stirred with confusion, fear, and disbelief. Inside, there was resolve.
The columns you see here — strong and unyielding — stood through it all. Through the smoke, the gunfire, the fire that would leave the building in ruins. They remain today as they were then: witnesses.
The GPO is not just stone and structure. It is memory.
It is the echo of voices raised in hope.
It is the courage of those who stood when standing meant everything.
It is the quiet reminder that even the most ordinary places can become extraordinary.
Today, people pass by without a second thought — meeting friends, catching buses, going about their lives. And maybe that is its greatest legacy.
Because the GPO was never meant to stand apart from the people.
It was always meant to belong to them

03/04/2026

110 ten years ago this happened

17/03/2026

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day. The Quiet man Cottage. This cottage is based on the cottage featured in the movie the Quite Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and a Host of Irish actors. The movie was one of the most popular Irish movies in America. in the top five of all movies up there with White Christmas. It was a show piece of Irish Life and Culture from a Bygone era. The original cottage now lays in Ruins with wild flowers growing from the roof. This piece is suitable for indoors and outdoors. This piece can be used as a planter and is also suitable as a candy sweet dish for more details www.ogowna.com

11/03/2026

Harp and Shamrock ☘️ Chess Board featuring the 32 counties of Ireland 🇮🇪 Teddycelts chess set. Irish penny Draughts Checkers. These are just some of the pieces made out our studio for customers for Saint Patricks Day view more at www.ogowna.com

08/03/2026

The Pillar and the Met are gone, the Royal long since pulled down, up went Nelson in old Dublin Town, all along O’Connell Street the stones and rubble flew, Up went the Pillar and Nelson too. 60 years ago today March 8th 1966 Nelson’s Pillar was Blown up. It had stood on O’Connell street, Dublins main Thoroughfare for 157 years. Placed there to commemorate the success of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. The street had just been made the widest thoroughfare in Europe thanks to the work of the Wides streets commission. 150 ft wide with 50 ft Gardiners plaza in the centre. Nelsons pillar was a tourist attraction with 166 steps to the top of the 134 ft structure with an admission price of 6 old pennies with an annual income of £2,000. There was a viewing platform at the top with views of Dublin. Opened in 1809, 34 years before Nelson was commemorated in Trafalgar Square in London. It never sat easy with growing Nationalism to have a British military hero lording over the capital. To that end the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 rising sparked some republicans into action. Although the pillar was partially destroyed by them the rest was done by the Irish Army a few days later. With a controlled explosion. There are many anecdotes that the original blast did less damage to surrounding buildings than the planned controlled explosion by the army. Souvenir hunters kept pieces of the pillar which were granite and limestone. Nelson head was commandeered by some students and did the rounds with at a few Dubliner’s gigs and was eventually returned. It is now on Display in the library in Pearse St.
Once the pillar was removed there was great debate about a replacement. It was eventually agreed the millennium spire would be erected. As the name suggests it was to commemorate the millennium and to combine modern architecture with traditional architecture showcasing a modern Dublin. The idea of the design was, it was such a simple design it could be erected in one day thereby celebrating a new modern efficient modern Dublin. However due to planning and other challenges it took over 1,000 days to erect. Who knows maybe in 134 years anti millennials may tear it down

02/02/2026

The Celtic Goddess Brigit the exalted one. Worshipped by the Brigantes Celtic tribe as a deity she is also the goddess of fertility and marks the start of Imbolc on February First. In Ireland she is seen as the daughter of Dagda and is a Healer, a Smith, a poet, Bard. St. Brigit in Ireland from 455 -525 celebrates Fertility and Light (Grand Stretch in The evening) with the Brigit’s Cross which is believed to be a solar wheel a symbol of good fortune and healing. Placed in peoples’ homes to ward of sickness. There are stories of crosses being used to determine the age of homes with a new cross being place in the roof of the house each year. The story of St Brigid weaving one of the crosses as a pagan Celtic King lay Dying in his bed is said to have brought the king comfort at which time he converted to Christianity. There are many stories attributed to St Brigit’s one of the lesser known is the fact she invented the modern day equivalent of the rosary beads. In ancient times prayer ropes were used by people to keep track of the number of prayers said. There was also a tradition of placing pebbles in a bowl if you had pebbles. St Brigit came up with the simple idea of stringing stones/Beads together with large ones for longer prayers and to denote a decade of the rosary. Thus, inventing the rosary beads which are still in use across the world today.

01/02/2026

First moon of Imbolc Happy St Brigids Day

27/01/2026