Keeping the 'God in the Bottle' craft tradition alive

Despite the fact that almost every pub in Tullamore had its own version of a unique and intricate craft object known as a ‘God in the Bottle’ on display during the 1970s, the significance of these rare artefacts only came to light when Offaly County Council architect, Rachel McKenna, began researching the traditional architecture of the county for a book she was writing.

The results of her meticulous research brought her into contact with two master craftsmen in Offaly, Pat Gorman in Killurin, Killeigh and Ned Hendrick in Shannonbridge, who are still making these unique artefacts and are proud to keep the tradition alive.

The so-called ‘God in the Bottle’ was an object known to Catholics across Europe, and is thought to date from the mid-19th century. At its most basic form, it consists of a carved wooden cross depicting the passion of Christ and a ladder which are connected to a thread or a wire and inserted into a reused bottle though the neck. The threads or wires are then removed using tweezers and the bottle is filled with water or white vinegar to preserve the wood.

Pat Gorman, who is a carpenter and tiler by trade, remembers being fascinated as a child watching his late father, Patsy, cutting out tiny pieces of wood and carefully carving them before placing them inside an empty spirits bottle to create an intricate Passion scene.

“My father would go off the beer for November and for the whole month he would take over the kitchen table after dinner and start working on his little project to make a load of ‘God in the Bottle’ models and it kept him busy,” recalls Pat, who was born in Mucklagh and reared in O’Molloy Street in Tullamore.

There was an unforeseen benefit for the Gorman kids as a result of their father’s endeavours, as he needed coloured pieces of tin foil to decorate the Cross. “We would be sent to the shop to buy a packet of Roses so that he could get the coloured pieces of tin foil from the sweets and we got to eat the rest of the sweets,” laughs Pat.

After watching his father for years, Pat Gorman decided at 16 years of age to “give the bottles a go” so he disappeared outside with a bottle and a few bits of wood and made his very first ‘God in the Bottle’ and he has been making them “on and off ever since”.

The talented tradesman, who has been married to Dara (Mulligan) for over 36 years and has a family of three, Odhran, Gráinne and Conor, says he really enjoys making the unique artefacts and it helps to keep him occupied since he is out of work due to a recurring injury to his knee which has necessitated a number of surgical procedures over the past 18 months. “It helps to keep my head sane and when you love what you do it’s no chore a tall,” he says.

From start to finish, it takes Pat “about four and a half hours” to complete a ‘God in the Bottle’ and he carves every piece of wood with a knife and uses no other tools. Two of his bottles have gone to the US so far, but he points out that his father’s masterpieces “went all over the world, and practically every pub in Tullamore had one displayed behind the counter as well”.

Eddie Hendrick from Shannonbridge inherited the tradition of making ‘God in the Bottle’ artefacts from his father Ned, and he is hoping that his own son, 22-year old Kevin, will also keep the tradition alive in the next generation.

Ned is currently hospitalised having suffered a stroke, so Eddie took part in the RTE 1 Nationwide programme which is due to be screened in early March and will feature a segment on the tradition of making ‘God in the Bottle.’ Eddie's father began making the bottles when he was just eight years old after spotting one in his aunt's house.

When he was admiring it his aunt called him and he got such a fright that he dropped the bottle. His horrified aunt said they would have to leave the house if his uncle came home and found the bottle broken. The young child returned home, found a bottle and some wood and painstakingly figured out a way to carve the wood and put it into the bottle! From such humble beginnings, he made over 100 bottles which have travelled all over the world.

Ned and Eddie Hendrick, along with Pat Gorman, are among what is thought to be only a handful of skilled craftsmen in Ireland, and maybe even across Europe, who are still hand carving the unique ‘God in the Bottle’ artefacts.

Having perfected the traditional ‘God in the Bottle’ Eddie Hendrick is now taking his skills one step further by attempting to carve a Celtic Cross and place it inside a bottle. “This has never been done before,” he admits, “but I am working on the project at the minute so hopefully it will turn out well and I’ll be able to complete it.”

Eddie, who has been carving ‘God in the Bottle’ for over a quarter of a century now, reckons he has made over 40 of them, and he says the painstaking process is “good for the head” but adds that you need “plenty of patience”.

He explains that if he is having difficulty placing the carved pieces of wood through the neck of the bottle “I just leave it there and come back to it at a later stage as you could drive yourself mad if you stay at any project when it’s not working out.”

His wife, Catherine, and daughter, Laura, are full of admiration for the intricate work that goes into creating the ‘’God in the Bottle’ and are also hoping that the tradition is kept alive for future generations.

Rachel McKenna’s book ‘Traditional Architecture in Offaly’ showcases the wonderful skills of the ‘God in the Bottle’ project and the work of people like Ned Hendrick and Pat Gorman and she is hoping that the exposure of the project on RTE next month will bring this unique project to an even wider audience.