Island potter and cofounder of the Island Folk Pottery and Sculpture Trail (Fairy Trail) Bill O’Callaghan originally hails from Ireland. “I grew up in Cork. We were a big family, 11 kids. It rained — a lot,” he laughs. “We didn’t have much TV. So I spent a lot of time reading -— fantasy, historical fiction — anything. That love of reading stayed with me. A lot of my reading transfers into my artwork.”
O’Callaghan originally came to the Vineyard in 1986. “I met a woman who was living here. I wasn’t sure what America was like,” he says. “I watched Westerns sometimes as a kid, and I thought of Texas. But the Vineyard is more similar to England and Ireland. I love the sense of community here. I’m really happy to have been embraced by the Island. I had so much support from everyone over the years. That makes a huge difference; it warms my heart. This has been my home now for 40 years.”
The Fairy Trail that O’Callaghan and his wife, artist Heather Goff, have created is a free, magical, self-guided walk through art, nature, and imagination. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on Tuesday, and the day will, as always, evoke lots of Irish pride. But if you want to go deeper and get to the true Celtic spirit and the mythical scenes that emerge from its art and poetry, you need to take a walk in the woods to see O’Callaghan’s work. It features whimsical mixed-media and clay sculptures, including tree spirits, Earth guardians, fae musicians, clay masks and sculpted eyes peering from trees, as well as written stories and reflections.
“[The Fairy Trail] just kind of happened,” says O’Callaghan. “I met Heather in 2019. I had sculptures, and she had four acres of unused land. We started by cutting a trail. Then COVID hit, and it gave me time to put together the trail. Then we built a shop. People heard through word of mouth, and through The Times and the Gazette. People who came to visit the Island started finding us, as well. We’ve had a lot of nice people come. People are happy to be here. It brings us so much joy.”
O’Callaghan’s art is inspired by natural materials he finds on the Island, and a rich imagination fueled by the Irish folklore he grew up with: “I get an idea and then I start making something, and I’m not sure what it will be in the end. The story evolves, and I follow.”
If you’ve ever been to the Fairy Trail or gone into Goff and O’Callaghan’s shop on their property, where they sell their whimsical wares, you may have had the pleasure of meeting their dog, Ossian, who is a 4-year-old Irish wolfhound. “He’s such a big part of the trail. He’s 95 pounds and greets everyone. He’s so big and friendly and loves everybody,” O’Callaghan says.
O’Callaghan and Goff recently created a book, “Tails from the Fairy Trail.” Goff brought the stories to life with words and arrangement, weaving in O’Callaghan’s imaginative art with Ossian’s voice. “The stories are told through Ossian’s eyes,” O’Callaghan says. “He’s the fairy dog. I started putting together collages. I’ve never done collages before, but I saw something in artist Ruth Epstein’s big collages. She really inspired me. Heather and I used photos of our kids, grandkids, and nieces through the years for the book. It was so much fun.”
The book and the sculptures aren’t the only pieces of art visitors see when they arrive at the Fairy Trail. O’Callaghan worked as a mason and carpenter for years, and those skills came in handy as he began building whimsical furniture. “I was at the beach one day and saw a piece of driftwood. It sparked an idea,” he says. “I started making stuff slowly — cupboards on the trail that you can open. Now having the trail, I have space that encourages me to make bigger things. People expect to see something new each year, which keeps me motivated.”
New for 2026 is a raven. “He stands 5 foot 8. I named him the Raven Mystic. He is in my studio right now, watching over me,” O’Callaghan says. “The raven will also have a sidekick — a centaur. I also have a big flying owl along the way.”
The trail is open daily from 9 am to dusk. To learn more about Island Folk Pottery and Sculpture Trail, visit islandfolkpottery.com. “Tails from the Fairy Trail” is available for purchase at the Island Folk Pottery and Sculpture Shop, 16 Marion’s Way, Chilmark, and on Amazon.