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Burren Craft Fair - BallyvaughanLet me tell you where you can find really lovely things to buy? There's a very special craft fair that's only held on Sundays, in the Old School House in Ballyvaughan, County Clare. 15 years ago a few craft workers got together to promote only the very best (where have you heard that phrase before?) of Irish handicrafts being produced in the West of Ireland. Membership is strictly limited to genuine producers so you wont find any substandard products here but then that’s obvious from the moment you step over the cut stone threshold....
Always on the look out for nice pieces of statement jewellery, Sam Beardon’s silver seaweed pendant caught my eye, no surprise then that he’s a sculptor, the detail is magnificent....
And it would sit very nicely against one of those wonderfully colourful felted scarves by Astrid Hofman, twice winner of the RDS national crafts competition....
The quality here is just superb, when have you last seen, smelled or felt the warmth of a genuine hand knitted Aran jumper (most in the shops are mass produced fakes) whereas Ann Moynihans are hand knitted in patterns such as blackberry, honeycomb or spoon stitch in real Irish wool....
A throwback to the bygone days depicted in the wistful black & white still photography of Ilsa Thielan, again exclusive images you wont find anywhere else in the world let alone Ireland. Like the native but internationally famous Burren flowers delightfully captured in the delicate hand made cards, watercolours and silk paintings of Leueen Hill....
There is something for everyone here, from hand made goats milk soap scented with sage and lemongrass and beautifully presented in little ribboned gauze bags by Janis James (so pretty you wont want to use them)
To specially commissioned pieces like Michael Moore copper and stained glass clock creations, though you can buy readymade designs off the wall.... so to speak, an unusual twist to an everyday object.
Like Stephen Prices ‘sun’ ceramics practical and beautiful, whether for the use intended or more likely cramming a bunch of wild daffodils into one of his jugs to sit on a windowsill....
His pieces are earthy and tactile and made to put up with wear and tear like Tony McFaddens leather belts, notebooks, diaries and sketchbooks, nice solid feel to them like something that would last a long time, that you would get value out of, now that is surely a rare thing in this day and age.....
Open Sundays from April admission is free
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