Up North

We had the rare opportunity to travel up north last week, to speak to the members of Craft NI in the Ulster Museum, as part of their programme for craft month. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the talented, up and coming designers and makers in Northern Ireland, as well as catching up with our stockist Catherine Keenan who also spoke about her experience as a glass artist. The programme for this August comprises of over 130 events including exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and talks. It's a great reason to get out and explore the area in and around Belfast.

Taking the opportunity that evening after the talk to explore Belfast's "Cathedral Quarter", we found it was packed with a great selection of bars and restaurants, there is a vibrant, creative feel to the area. Michael from the Bearded Candle Makers had given us an epic list of places to visit and we managed to see a few; Established for coffee, The Spaniard for a drink and Made in Belfast for food. We also happened across a great bar called The Duke of York and had some amazing food in Hadskis.

If only we had been able to hang around for the weekend we would have made it our mission to visit St. George's market, where many designers and makers showcase their products. Our own selection from Northern Ireland in the shop includes Adam Frew's porcelain, Catherine Keenan's glass jewellery, Gail Kelly's lino print greeting cards and unique scents from the Bearded Candle Makers.