Birr craftsman reaches Irish Steel Awards final with handcrafted greyhound

A Birr craftsman has earned national recognition after his handcrafted stainless steel greyhound sculpture was selected as a finalist in the Irish Steel Awards 2026.

Johnathan Carroll of CJ Metal Crafts has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s awards with the striking sculpture.

What began as a workshop project during the Covid lockdown has since grown into a part-time hobby for Johnathan, who creates stainless steel sculptures alongside his metal fabrication work.

His finalist piece is a modern low-poly greyhound, constructed from a series of flat, faceted stainless steel panels. Each piece was individually designed and laser cut before being folded, welded and finished by hand.

According to the project entry, one of the biggest challenges was getting each of the panels to line up precisely while maintaining the greyhound’s proportions and smooth overall form.

The finished sculpture combines precision metal fabrication with creative design, demonstrating how stainless steel can be used not only for engineering and fabrication, but also to create unique works of art.

Johnathan’s work has now brought his Birr-based hobby onto the national stage, with the greyhound competing across two categories in the Irish Steel Awards.

Public voting closes in just one day.

You can support Johnathan and CJ Metal Crafts here:

https://irishsteel.ie/awards/vote/company/cj-metal-crafts

Best of luck to Johnathan in the finals.