FEW people – let alone those in the traditional Irish crafts sphere – would relish striking out on their own in this Covid-19-impacted year but Lucy Cushley has not looked back for a moment.

The Irish Field first caught up with Lucy in July after she was announced as one of the five winners of the RDS Craft Awards 2020. She spent two years studying at London’s Capel Manor College for the Cordwainers Diploma in Bridle, Saddle and Harness-makng under Christer Dahlberg and Line Hansen. Now an Intermediate Saddler with the Society of Master Saddlers, where it takes at least seven years of approved work and training before the title of Master Saddler can be bestowed, Cushley (27) is determined to keep improving her qualifications and is ambitious to reach the top rung of her chosen profession.