The Origin of Macha Workshops
Macha Workshops is named after the Irish goddess of Ulster, Macha — a powerful figure from mythology whose story is rooted in Armagh, where I’m from.
In one of the oldest tales, Macha was forced to race against the king’s horses while heavily pregnant. She won the race, but gave birth on the finish line — and in her pain and rage, she cursed the men of Ulster to feel that same pain in their hour of need. Her story is one of endurance, injustice, and the raw power of creation — under pressure, and against the odds.
That story has always stayed with me. My own surname, Machala, echoes her name. My mother was a twin — a detail that appears in some versions of the myth. And after recovering from surgery and a period of personal healing, I felt a strong pull to create something meaningful.
Macha Workshops was born from that moment — a place to reconnect with craft, with story, and with self. This is about more than making things — it's about reclaiming strength, honouring where we come from, and shaping something lasting out of the past and present.
This is Macha Workshops — myth, making, and our ancient future.
