Looking for a creative end-of-summer holiday, or hunting for a winter break with a difference? Why not head to Glencairn in the Blackwater Valley, about three miles from the pretty heritage village of Lismore, Co Waterford?

There you will find one of the few residential pottery schools in the country, Glencairn Pottery, home to potter Marcus O'Mahony, his wife Joan and their two children Patrick and Kevin.

Here you can have the choice of taking a week-long pottery course in the summer or autumn, or a short course, usually run over a long weekend, during the winter. Courses are limited to six students, which means Marcus has the time to give individual attention to everyone, and they are open to beginners, intermediate and advanced adult students.

Graduating from the Limerick College of Art and Design in the mid-70s, Marcus spent many years teaching art and ceramics in Dublin and Germany. His work is mainly wheel-thrown, salt-glazed functional stoneware. The emphasis in his courses is on throwing, turning and finishing pots, together with hand-building techniques and pottery decoration, which allows students to take part in the full ceramic cycle, from clay to kiln. Students come from as far as Israel, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands as well as from all over Ireland to the school. What began as a pipe dream seven years ago has become a thriving reality.

In 1993, on sabbatical leave from their teaching jobs in Dublin, Marcus and Joan were actively on the lookout for somewhere to set up a residential pottery school when Glencairn caught their eye. The house had been empty for 10 years and the farmhouse had fallen into disrepair. But the 19th century stone barn on the property, a perfect location for a studio, made up their minds. There was only one snag - the property wasn't for sale.

Three weeks of negotiation with the landowner, and an Oscar winning performance of persuasion followed. This eventually culminated in a price being agreed for the property, plus three acres. Everything the couple had was invested in the venture; they also got some help from a Government-backed scheme for people setting up a business in the countryside.

Resigning from their respective jobs, and selling their home in Killester, Dublin, they arrived in Waterford in November, 1993 to country living at its most challenging. Ten months later, they were able to move from local rented accommodation into their new home. The farmhouse had been totally revamped, with upstairs windows raised to dormer level to give extra light; the addition of Velux windows helped to brighten the existing three bedrooms. Downstairs, the kitchen was totally modernised in keeping with its surroundings; a particularly nice carved beam over the cooking area has been retained, for example. The only major change was the small extension to house the utility area, but as matching slates were found for the roof, and a farmhouse half-door added for effect, it blends in well with the existing structure.

French doors lead out from the living area on to an extensive pebbled frontage.

They then turned to converting the stone barn, with its attractive archway, where the business would be located. It was the right size for the workshop, with six pottery wheels, an area for the kilns and ample space to house a gallery to display the finished products.

Upstairs, they have put in three bright and airy bedrooms, one double and two single, to accommodate students. There is also a livingroom with a small kitchen for students which opens on to a small sun terrace overlooking the gardens.

The once swampy land has been transformed into a beautiful landscaped area which runs down to a stream at the bottom of the garden. The driveway is interspersed with quarry-tiled flowerbeds filled with colourful shrubbery.

The couple estimate that the total cost of their renovation stands at £70,000 in addition to the purchase price - but the transformation of the property is spectacular. Far from feeling isolated, they get the best out of Dublin without having to live there. "We have the best of both worlds," says Marcus who has an exhibition opening in the Dalkey Heritage centre in Dalkey, Co Dublin in November.

Glencairn Pottery can be contacted at 058 56694. Week- long courses - including materials, lunch and outings - cost £235. For residential students the cost is an extra £75, which includes breakfast. Accommodation can also be arranged locally.