Autumn Art Workshops at Custom House Studios, Westport

What to Expect

Custom House Studios runs a small autumn workshop programme alongside its gallery shows, and two Saturday sessions are scheduled for this side of Halloween. The first, on Saturday 5 September, is a tetra pack printmaking workshop with Susie Quinn, a low-tech drypoint method that turns an ordinary carton into a printing plate, which makes it one of the cheapest ways into printmaking that exists. The second, on Saturday 10 October, is a Polaroid emulsion lift workshop with Micheal Gannon, a hands-on process that involves separating the image layer from an instant print and transferring it onto another surface.

Both run for most of the day in the studio building on Westport Quay, which is a working artists’ premises rather than a classroom, so you are making in the same building where the studio members work. Numbers are limited and booking is essential. The gallery does not publish workshop fees on its website, so contact the studios directly to confirm the price, what to bring and whether places remain. If you are travelling for a workshop it is worth allowing extra time for the exhibitions in the gallery downstairs, which change every few weeks and are free to view.

Good to Know

• Tetra Pack Workshop with Susie Quinn: Saturday 5 September 2026, 11am to 4pm
• Polaroid Emulsion Lift with Micheal Gannon: Saturday 10 October 2026, 10am to 4pm
• Custom House Studios + Gallery, The Quay, Westport
• Booking is essential, contact info@customhouse.ie or phone 098 28735
• The gallery does not publish workshop fees online, so confirm the price and what to bring when booking
• Gallery exhibitions on the same site are free to view

Getting There

Westport Quay is about 1.5km from the Octagon at the centre of town, a flat twenty minute walk out along the Carrowbeg river and the Quay Road. Driving, the N5 comes west from Castlebar and Dublin and the N59 arrives from Galway through Leenane or from Newport and Achill to the north, with parking at the harbour beside the studios. Irish Rail runs Dublin Heuston to Westport services via Manulla Junction, and the station is roughly ten minutes on foot from the town centre. Bus Eireann connects Westport with Castlebar, Ballina, Galway and Achill.