Welding Workshop with David McAllister

What to Expect

This three day welding workshop introduces creative metalworking for artists, run by David McAllister, the Sculpture Centre’s material process technician of nineteen years’ standing, who holds a BA in Sculpture from Edinburgh College of Art and an MA in Interactive Art and Design from Falmouth College of Art, alongside trade certification in TIG and MIG welding. Over three days participants are introduced to Arc, MIG and TIG welding, learning when each process suits a given job, basic safety protocols, and methods for building a metal sculpture from mild steel. The course also covers mechanical fastening techniques such as filing and riveting, and hands-on use of workshop equipment including angle grinders, pillar drills, a cut-off saw and rollers. It is pitched at complete beginners and aims to give artists a working grasp of metal construction methods they can put to use in their own sculptural practice afterwards. With a maximum of six participants, McAllister is able to give individual guidance on each welding process as the group works through practical exercises rather than lectures. No prior metalworking experience or qualification is needed to take part, and the course sits within the centre’s wider public workshop programme, which runs alongside its studio and residency facilities for professional artists on the same New Line site.

Good to Know

• Dates: Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026, 10am to 4pm each day
• Venue: Leitrim Sculpture Centre, New Line, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
• Price: €360 per person, maximum 6 participants
• Sturdy boots are required for the workshop, other safety equipment is provided
• Accommodation on site is available separately at €35 per night, email the centre after booking to check availability
• Booking: via Eventbrite
• Recurrence: a one-off three day course, run alongside the centre’s autumn programme of darkroom photography workshops in August and October
• Contact: 071 9855098 or info@leitrimsculpturecentre.ie

Getting There

Leitrim Sculpture Centre is on New Line in Manorhamilton, on the N16 Sligo to Enniskillen road, roughly 30 minutes from Sligo town and 20 minutes from Carrick-on-Shannon by car.

While You’re in Manorhamilton

Manorhamilton is a market town in north Leitrim, set where several valleys meet, close to the Dartry mountains. There is more to see in Manorhamilton and across Co. Leitrim.