Copperfish Wins Newstalk’s Green Business of the Month Award
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
We were delighted to be named Newstalk’s Green Business of the Month for March, and to have Eoin join Joe Lynam on Newstalk Breakfast to talk about the work we do, why we do it, and how deeply everything we make is shaped by material, history, and time.
The conversation didn’t start with products or growth. It started, as it always does for us, with timber.
Every Piece We Make Has a Story
At Copperfish, we work almost exclusively with reclaimed and historic timber — wood that has already lived a long life before it ever enters our workshop.
Often, that timber is Irish. Sometimes it comes from civil or institutional buildings. Sometimes from ports, shipyards, or railways. Almost always, it carries a story that spans decades — often centuries.
At the time of the interview, we had lights, dining tables, kitchen islands and a coffee table in progress, each made from a different timber source. Some were being crafted from greenheart salvaged from Dublin Port, an incredibly rare and dense timber originally imported for marine use. Others came from historic buildings, including Trinity College and former court buildings.
One lamp Eoin brought into the studio was made from timber salvaged from the Anglesey Stand at the RDS — wood that’s well over 200 years old. In some cases, we still find hand‑forged nails embedded in the timber, made individually by blacksmiths long before mechanised production.
From Ships, Sleepers and Shorelines
Some of the timbers we work with have travelled far further than Wicklow. Over the years, we’ve worked extensively with jarrah, an exceptionally hard Australian hardwood. Jarrah was originally used in convict ships that transported Irish prisoners to Australia. On the return journey, the ships carried jarrah as ballast because of its sheer weight.
Later, that same timber was used as railway sleepers — never needing chemical treatment because of its natural durability. Today, it forms the backbone of our Ballast Collection, where industrial material is carefully reworked into contemporary furniture and lighting.
We’re also currently working with timber salvaged from a First World War shipwreck. In 1917, the SS Pegasus was torpedoed off the coast of Kinsale while carrying Burmese teak — widely considered the gold standard of hardwood. Much of the recovered teak was used to restore the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. What remained, preserved by the sea for decades, is now finding a new life in our workshop. We will be launching that new collection later in the year.
Small by Design, Made to Order
Copperfish is intentionally small. We’re a close-knit team of craftspeople working from our workshop in Wicklow. Everything we make is made to order. We don’t batch produce. We don’t repeat pieces. And we don’t carry stock. By definition, the timber we use is finite. Once it’s gone, it’s gone — and there will never be another piece quite like it. Because of that, lead times are shaped by craft, not convenience. Lighting typically takes several weeks to make. Tables and larger furniture pieces take several months. Many of our customers visit the workshop to choose their timber, learn its story, and see how their piece will take shape.
That connection is important to us.
Sustainability, Without Performance
We’ve never set out to label Copperfish as “green” — we simply believe that working responsibly is the only way to work with rare material.
By reclaiming historic timber, we avoid new felling, preserve material that might otherwise be lost, and extend its life by generations. Sustainability, for us, isn’t a feature. It’s a by‑product of working slowly, thoughtfully, and with respect.
Being recognised by Newstalk as Green Business of the Month for March was a genuine honour, and a meaningful acknowledgment of that approach.
Listen to the full interview on Go Loud https://link.goloudplayer.com/s/pGfBbW8s2bAf.
