Waterford man John Hayes of Special Branch Carvings was in studio with Maria to discuss family, work, and more besides.

Fenor based John, who's worked on a number of artistic projects through his woodcarving business, started by discussing the sudden death of  his father Dick at Christmas 2019, and what it was like to deal with grief in the Pandemic.

One of John's most recent works of art is a sculpture of a horse and jockey, now based at the Minella Hotel in Clonmel. The carving of the animal mid-jump is a combination of the Gold Cup winner, and the Grand National winner (Minella Indo and Minella Times).

John discussed the process of making such an intricate piece, as well as what he learns at world events.

He also spoke about his ongoing plans to put a giant woodcarving, The Guardian of the Déise, at the entrance to Waterford city, something he's discussed in depth previously on WLR. More here.

John Hayes told Maria that the project is "world scale," and he's willing to wait patiently for the financial backing with the right partners. He feels the sculpture would garner national attention and place Waterford on the map as the guardian of the South East.

Have a listen to John's full chat with Maria on The Saturday Cafe.

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