Live Edge Woodwork and Irish Craft Pieces, Made in Carlingford
Live edge woodwork starts with the timber as it comes from the tree. The natural edge is retained: the bark line, the curves, the individual character of that particular trunk. No two pieces are the same. The woodworker’s job is to read what the timber wants to become and help it get there, not to force it into a standard shape.
Setanta Woodcraft & Carpentry makes live edge furniture and Irish craft pieces from the workshop in Carlingford, Co. Louth. John McShane works with Irish and sourced hardwood slabs to make pieces that are genuinely individual: dining tables, coffee tables, shelves, chopping boards, spoons, hurleys, live edge bathroom vanities, and bespoke commissions to order.
This side of the Setanta work is different from fitted kitchens or staircases. Those are projects with a precise brief and a fixed outcome. Live edge work is a collaboration between the timber and the craftsman, and occasionally between the craftsman and the client, where the material shapes the design as much as the design shapes the material.
What Setanta Makes in Live Edge
Dining and Kitchen Tables
A live edge dining table is a statement piece that works in both contemporary and traditional interiors. It suits an open-plan kitchen-diner in a modern house as well as the main room of a Cooley Peninsula farmhouse. The slab is the feature: a cross-section of a significant tree, showing the grain, the figure, the growth rings, and the natural edge of the bark line.
John sources slabs from Irish timber suppliers and from the Board Room NI in Northern Ireland, which mills and seasons locally grown hardwood to high standard. Common species for dining tables: oak, elm, ash, and walnut. Each has different grain character, colour, and weight.
Coffee Tables and Side Tables
Smaller live edge pieces for living rooms. A single slab on hairpin legs, or two matching slabs on a steel or timber base. Coffee tables are often made from particularly figured or character sections of timber that are too narrow for a dining table but too interesting to reduce to a standard piece.
Live Edge Shelving
Wall-mounted live edge shelves in solid hardwood. Popular in both kitchens and living rooms where a single strong natural element anchors an otherwise contemporary interior. Made to the client’s specified length from seasoned slab sections.
Chopping Boards and Kitchen Pieces
End-grain and face-grain chopping boards in solid hardwood: oak, ash, or walnut. Made individually or as sets. These are among Setanta’s most popular craft gifts and are regularly purchased as wedding gifts, housewarming presents, and celebration pieces for families across Co. Louth and the border region.
Hand-Carved Spoons and Utensils
A more traditional side of the Setanta workshop. Hand-carved wooden spoons, spatulas, and kitchen utensils in local hardwood. Time-intensive, genuinely handmade, and entirely unique.
Hurleys
The hurley, the stick used in the Irish game of hurling, is traditionally made from ash. John makes hurleys to order and for local players across Co. Louth and South Armagh, using properly seasoned Irish ash. A well-made hurley has a specific weight, flex, and balance that affects how it plays. These are not decorative pieces. They are working sports equipment made by someone who understands what they need to do.
Live Edge Bathroom Vanities and Toilet Seats
One of the most distinctive commissions Setanta takes. A live edge oak or walnut toilet seat, or a bathroom vanity shelf in solid hardwood, is a completely unexpected material in a context most people furnish with ceramic and chrome. Done correctly, and sealed appropriately for the moisture environment of a bathroom, it produces a result that photographs extraordinarily well and generates more conversation than any other element of the room.
Bespoke One-Off Commissions
Where a client has a specific piece in mind that does not fit a standard category, John will discuss whether it is feasible and quote accordingly. Sculptural pieces, unusual forms, furniture designed around a specific slab: all workable within the scope of what the workshop can produce.
Irish Timber and Where It Comes From
John sources slab timber from a small number of trusted suppliers, with a preference for locally milled material where the species and quality are right. Irish hardwood, particularly oak and ash from Leinster and Ulster, has a grain character distinct from imported European or American timber: more knots, more variation, more of what makes a piece individual.
Where Irish slab is not available in the species or size required, John sources from specialist slab suppliers in Northern Ireland and the UK. Every slab is assessed before any work begins.
What Live Edge Work Costs
Live edge pieces are priced individually based on the slab, the complexity of the commission, and the time involved. Realistic 2026 ranges:
| Piece | Typical Price |
|---|---|
| Oak or ash chopping board | €45 to €120 |
| Live edge shelf, per section | €80 to €250 |
| Coffee table, live edge slab | €450 to €1,200 |
| Dining table, live edge slab | €1,200 to €4,500 |
| Live edge bathroom vanity shelf | €250 to €600 |
| Bespoke toilet seat, solid hardwood | €180 to €350 |
| Carved wooden spoons | €35 to €80 each |
| Hurley, made to order | €50 to €90 |
For a detailed breakdown of what drives live edge dining table costs, the 2026 guide to live edge furniture prices covers the main variables.
Setanta’s Live Edge Work and the Carlingford Hospitality Market
Carlingford has a strong hospitality sector: boutique hotels, restaurants, pubs, and guesthouses that serve both the local market and the significant tourist trade drawn by the town’s heritage and scenery. For these businesses, bespoke live edge woodwork is an investment in the character of their interiors that cannot be replicated by contract furniture.
A bar top in solid Irish oak with live edge detail. A reception desk in elm. Feature shelving in walnut behind a bar. These pieces tell a story about where they came from and who made them, and that story matters to visitors in a way that standard hospitality furniture does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I commission a piece using my own timber? Yes. If you have a slab from a tree on your own land, or have sourced timber you want made into a specific piece, John will assess it and advise on what it is suited for. Not every slab is right for every purpose. He will tell you honestly what can be made from what you have.
How long does a live edge dining table take to make? From confirmed order, typically four to eight weeks. The slab needs to be sourced or selected from stock, any further drying time must be allowed, and the making, finishing, and base fabrication all take time. A realistic timeline is confirmed at the commission stage.
Are live edge pieces practical for everyday use? Yes, with appropriate care. A live edge dining table finished in hardwax oil is as practical as any other solid hardwood table. It needs to be protected from standing water and re-oiled periodically, as all hardwood furniture does. It is not fragile.
Get in Touch
For live edge furniture, Irish craft pieces, or bespoke commissions in Carlingford, Dundalk, Newry, or across Co. Louth, contact John directly.
Phone / WhatsApp: 083 003 3268 Email: johnmcshane144@gmail.com Based in: Carlingford, Co. Louth