Stories

Stories

Warren Hayes - Coolree Design

Warren Hayes - Coolree Design

  Posted by Grace Doran

Warren Hayes, a Letterfrack graduate, established Coolree Design in 2017. Warren is motivated by simple, useful design. Each piece in his collection is finished to a high standard using the best materials. We asked Warren to tell us a bit more about his surrounds and his making process.

Tell us a bit about what you make

We design and make high-end furniture and homewares. Design is at the heart of our company with the focus of each piece on – Simplicity and Beauty. There is a nice mix between one-off bespoke commissions and small batch production runs. Our homewares collection consists of a range of products, from mirrors and clocks, to wall hooks and chopping boards. When it comes to commissioned pieces, we could be making anything from tables and chairs to trophies, to cremation urns. All our pieces are made to the highest quality, using both modern and traditional techniques and the finest materials. 

 

Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite thing about the space?

I was lucky enough to be able to build my own workshop beside the house. It is bright and airy, with plenty of windows to allow the light in. It is big enough to fit all the machinery needed for solid timber work, from a planer and thicknesser to a spindle molder and lathe. There is plenty of storage to hold all the bits and pieces needed to make furniture. I also have all my most used tools hung on the wall behind the workbench, so they are always close to hand.

However, the best thing about the workshop is its location, in the heart of the bog. It's so quiet and peaceful here that I can really relax and enjoy being in the space.

How do you get into the mindset of making?

I don’t really have any routine to get myself into the mindset. I’ve been in the workshop making pretty much every day for the last 15 years, so I’m probably always in the mindset. However, I think it helps when you’re excited about what you’re making and are looking forward to getting started on it.

What is your favourite tool and why?

I have a block plane (small hand plane), which I love. I bought it in a second-hand tool shop in the UK when I got my first weeks wages as a furniture maker. It is a fairly basic plane but it fits just right in my hand. I have kept it with me ever since and I think I’ve used it on pretty much every commission I have ever made.

Can you describe your making process to us?

Once I have the design finalised, the first step is to pick out the timber. I’m lucky in that I have a good timber supplier who still lets me go through and pick out the right planks for the job. All the timber is FSC certified, so it's fully sustainable. I then start marking out each part of the job, while constantly checking the grain direction. It then goes through various machining operations, from cutting, planning, shaping, and sanding. The processes and techniques used will vary according to what I’m making. There will generally be 2-3 glue ups in each piece, so it's important that each stage is done accurately. After this there is a lot more sanding, working your way through finer and finer grits. Each piece then gets between 4-6 coats of finish, this can be paint, lacquer, or oil and wax.

What is your inspiration?

I have always been interested in architecture and I get a lot of ideas from studying the shapes and forms of buildings. There is an amazing amount of lines and shapes being created in a building and I like how an architect can play with these to create a certain atmosphere in a room.

I like to keep a clean, contemporary look to my designs. All my pieces are designed with the goal of creating a beautifully simple product. I try to design furniture that will help create a calm, relaxed atmosphere in the home.

What led you to choose this craft as a profession?

I have always had an interest in making things having grown up working with my father, a builder & carpenter. There were always bits of wood lying around, so I would make little things for around the home and used to love it. I decided fairly young that I wanted to continue working with wood. I had intended on getting an apprenticeship to a local joiner until I heard about the Furniture Design & Manufacture course in Letterfrack and knew immediately that is what I wanted to do.

How do your surroundings affect your work?

I think my surroundings have a greater effect on me than on my work. I live down a very quiet little lane, in the middle of a bog. However, the bog hasn’t been cut in many years, so is now completely grown over with ferns and heather, along with hundreds of Birch trees. It’s very calm and peaceful here and that, in turn, helps me remain calm and relaxed. I tend not to draw direct inspiration from my surroundings, however, preferring to work with clean, simple lines, to produce designs, which I hope, will help create a calm, relaxed atmosphere in the home.

What is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece to date is my rocking chair. The brief which I set myself was to design a contemporary rocking chair, a chair to while away the hours whether reading, lounging or nursing a child to sleep. The design departs from the traditional image of the rocking chair and instead is composed of a molded seat suspended within a solid timber frame. However, I’m currently working on a couple of new lounge chair designs, which I’m hoping will become my new favourites!

A selection of Coolree Design products are available to purchase here

Warren Hayes - Coolree Design

Warren Hayes - Coolree Design

  Posted by Grace Doran

Warren Hayes, a Letterfrack graduate, established Coolree Design in 2017. Warren is motivated by simple, useful design. Each piece in his collection is finished to a high standard using the best materials. We asked Warren to tell us a bit more about his surrounds and his making process.

Tell us a bit about what you make

We design and make high-end furniture and homewares. Design is at the heart of our company with the focus of each piece on – Simplicity and Beauty. There is a nice mix between one-off bespoke commissions and small batch production runs. Our homewares collection consists of a range of products, from mirrors and clocks, to wall hooks and chopping boards. When it comes to commissioned pieces, we could be making anything from tables and chairs to trophies, to cremation urns. All our pieces are made to the highest quality, using both modern and traditional techniques and the finest materials. 

 

Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite thing about the space?

I was lucky enough to be able to build my own workshop beside the house. It is bright and airy, with plenty of windows to allow the light in. It is big enough to fit all the machinery needed for solid timber work, from a planer and thicknesser to a spindle molder and lathe. There is plenty of storage to hold all the bits and pieces needed to make furniture. I also have all my most used tools hung on the wall behind the workbench, so they are always close to hand.

However, the best thing about the workshop is its location, in the heart of the bog. It's so quiet and peaceful here that I can really relax and enjoy being in the space.

How do you get into the mindset of making?

I don’t really have any routine to get myself into the mindset. I’ve been in the workshop making pretty much every day for the last 15 years, so I’m probably always in the mindset. However, I think it helps when you’re excited about what you’re making and are looking forward to getting started on it.

What is your favourite tool and why?

I have a block plane (small hand plane), which I love. I bought it in a second-hand tool shop in the UK when I got my first weeks wages as a furniture maker. It is a fairly basic plane but it fits just right in my hand. I have kept it with me ever since and I think I’ve used it on pretty much every commission I have ever made.

Can you describe your making process to us?

Once I have the design finalised, the first step is to pick out the timber. I’m lucky in that I have a good timber supplier who still lets me go through and pick out the right planks for the job. All the timber is FSC certified, so it's fully sustainable. I then start marking out each part of the job, while constantly checking the grain direction. It then goes through various machining operations, from cutting, planning, shaping, and sanding. The processes and techniques used will vary according to what I’m making. There will generally be 2-3 glue ups in each piece, so it's important that each stage is done accurately. After this there is a lot more sanding, working your way through finer and finer grits. Each piece then gets between 4-6 coats of finish, this can be paint, lacquer, or oil and wax.

What is your inspiration?

I have always been interested in architecture and I get a lot of ideas from studying the shapes and forms of buildings. There is an amazing amount of lines and shapes being created in a building and I like how an architect can play with these to create a certain atmosphere in a room.

I like to keep a clean, contemporary look to my designs. All my pieces are designed with the goal of creating a beautifully simple product. I try to design furniture that will help create a calm, relaxed atmosphere in the home.

What led you to choose this craft as a profession?

I have always had an interest in making things having grown up working with my father, a builder & carpenter. There were always bits of wood lying around, so I would make little things for around the home and used to love it. I decided fairly young that I wanted to continue working with wood. I had intended on getting an apprenticeship to a local joiner until I heard about the Furniture Design & Manufacture course in Letterfrack and knew immediately that is what I wanted to do.

How do your surroundings affect your work?

I think my surroundings have a greater effect on me than on my work. I live down a very quiet little lane, in the middle of a bog. However, the bog hasn’t been cut in many years, so is now completely grown over with ferns and heather, along with hundreds of Birch trees. It’s very calm and peaceful here and that, in turn, helps me remain calm and relaxed. I tend not to draw direct inspiration from my surroundings, however, preferring to work with clean, simple lines, to produce designs, which I hope, will help create a calm, relaxed atmosphere in the home.

What is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece to date is my rocking chair. The brief which I set myself was to design a contemporary rocking chair, a chair to while away the hours whether reading, lounging or nursing a child to sleep. The design departs from the traditional image of the rocking chair and instead is composed of a molded seat suspended within a solid timber frame. However, I’m currently working on a couple of new lounge chair designs, which I’m hoping will become my new favourites!

A selection of Coolree Design products are available to purchase here

John Hanly

John Hanly

  Posted by Grace Doran in: Irish Craft, John Hanly, weaving

John Hanly Woollen Mills is steeped in tradition and the company is renowned for their excellent craftsmanship, outstanding quality, and beautiful products.

Established in Ireland in 1893, The mill specialises in the manufacture of scarves, throws, and fabrics in wool, cashmere, lambswool, mohair, and natural fibres.

The company has been under the management of the Hanly family since its founding and is based in Ballyartella, just outside the quaint little town of Nenagh in County Tipperary.

Before they moved their operations to Nenagh, Denis Hanly and his son John operated a number of handlooms in South County Tipperary. In 1893 they moved their machinery to Ballyartella in the North of the county where they are still located. They took over a vacant mill beside the Nenagh River and a large wheel provided the power necessary to operate the machinery.

With 126 years and counting in the textile business, the mill has developed the art of weaving using modern technology and machinery. Currently, the mill has 32 employees. 

We sat down recently with Andrew from John Hanly to ask him a few questions about the design and making process of these heritage products.

  • Could you describe the studio to us? How many people are on the design team?

 Currently, we have 2 full-time designers working on the whole collection ranging from the capsule fabric collections, for both menswear and womenswear and the interior ranges across all the qualities of wool. We produce these collections using pure yarn blends including pure wool, lambswool, merino, cashmere, and mohair.  

We do not have a design studio as such, but we do have one main office which has all the design records filed away since the company started. The office houses a large window which gives great access to a lot of natural light, which is crucial when selecting colours for the designs. It has all the yarn colour cards which are divided into their individual qualities and thicknesses. It also contains many of the company’s previous fabric collections both for the company itself and its independent clients, which is an amazing resource for the designer to recap over previous trends, scales, and colours used.

The designers create every single piece of cloth using traditional pen and paper. They work out the pattern, repeat, scale and colours of the fabric by using the complicated process of matching the mathematics across the warp and weft, which varies depending on the fabric type chosen, yarn quality and individual product. 

  • What inspires the designs created by John Hanly?

 One of our designers Kate follows fashion and interior trends across many social media platforms to stay on top of future key colour trends, both for fashion and interiors. She also attends trend forecasting seminars twice a year to see first hand where the trends are going and what is likely to be in demand for future collections. This helps the Hanly brand to maintain their balance of keeping up to date with trendsetters and influencers, adding new twists to their collections, whilst keeping their name firmly set as one of the highest quality Irish brands known to date.

As well as following colour trends, inspirations come from all around for Kate. She herself lives in a beautiful mix of being surrounded both by the sea and countryside. She takes inspiration from everyday natural occurrences that she is influenced by, your typical sea colours mixed with contrasting skyscapes of sunset or of purple heather that appears on mountain landscapes. 

The designers keep a mix of the traditional, blended with the new for all aspects of the customers' needs. Some want more traditional patterns and colours and others are looking for something that little bit different, so the designers have fun with getting the balance right for the brand.

John Hanly is just one example of an Irish company whose roots are firmly planted in our rich heritage of craft and tradition. It is a company which embraces new technologies and design to ensure the brand remains current and relevant for new audiences to appreciate. 

A selection of John Hanly products such as the always popular classic herringbone scarves and super soft cashmere, merino mix blankets are available to purchase here.

 

John Hanly

John Hanly

  Posted by Grace Doran in: Irish Craft, John Hanly, weaving

John Hanly Woollen Mills is steeped in tradition and the company is renowned for their excellent craftsmanship, outstanding quality, and beautiful products.

Established in Ireland in 1893, The mill specialises in the manufacture of scarves, throws, and fabrics in wool, cashmere, lambswool, mohair, and natural fibres.

The company has been under the management of the Hanly family since its founding and is based in Ballyartella, just outside the quaint little town of Nenagh in County Tipperary.

Before they moved their operations to Nenagh, Denis Hanly and his son John operated a number of handlooms in South County Tipperary. In 1893 they moved their machinery to Ballyartella in the North of the county where they are still located. They took over a vacant mill beside the Nenagh River and a large wheel provided the power necessary to operate the machinery.

With 126 years and counting in the textile business, the mill has developed the art of weaving using modern technology and machinery. Currently, the mill has 32 employees. 

We sat down recently with Andrew from John Hanly to ask him a few questions about the design and making process of these heritage products.

  • Could you describe the studio to us? How many people are on the design team?

 Currently, we have 2 full-time designers working on the whole collection ranging from the capsule fabric collections, for both menswear and womenswear and the interior ranges across all the qualities of wool. We produce these collections using pure yarn blends including pure wool, lambswool, merino, cashmere, and mohair.  

We do not have a design studio as such, but we do have one main office which has all the design records filed away since the company started. The office houses a large window which gives great access to a lot of natural light, which is crucial when selecting colours for the designs. It has all the yarn colour cards which are divided into their individual qualities and thicknesses. It also contains many of the company’s previous fabric collections both for the company itself and its independent clients, which is an amazing resource for the designer to recap over previous trends, scales, and colours used.

The designers create every single piece of cloth using traditional pen and paper. They work out the pattern, repeat, scale and colours of the fabric by using the complicated process of matching the mathematics across the warp and weft, which varies depending on the fabric type chosen, yarn quality and individual product. 

  • What inspires the designs created by John Hanly?

 One of our designers Kate follows fashion and interior trends across many social media platforms to stay on top of future key colour trends, both for fashion and interiors. She also attends trend forecasting seminars twice a year to see first hand where the trends are going and what is likely to be in demand for future collections. This helps the Hanly brand to maintain their balance of keeping up to date with trendsetters and influencers, adding new twists to their collections, whilst keeping their name firmly set as one of the highest quality Irish brands known to date.

As well as following colour trends, inspirations come from all around for Kate. She herself lives in a beautiful mix of being surrounded both by the sea and countryside. She takes inspiration from everyday natural occurrences that she is influenced by, your typical sea colours mixed with contrasting skyscapes of sunset or of purple heather that appears on mountain landscapes. 

The designers keep a mix of the traditional, blended with the new for all aspects of the customers' needs. Some want more traditional patterns and colours and others are looking for something that little bit different, so the designers have fun with getting the balance right for the brand.

John Hanly is just one example of an Irish company whose roots are firmly planted in our rich heritage of craft and tradition. It is a company which embraces new technologies and design to ensure the brand remains current and relevant for new audiences to appreciate. 

A selection of John Hanly products such as the always popular classic herringbone scarves and super soft cashmere, merino mix blankets are available to purchase here.

 

A Collaboration

A Collaboration

  Posted by Grace Doran in: Criostal ne rinne, Irish glass, Mary Callaghan, whiskey tumbler

Mary graduated with a degree in Electronic Engineering from CIT in 2003 and worked as an engineer with a multi-national company designing electronic devices. Moving to Beara in 2008, she came to know the great community of artists there and began working as a graphic designer for the Buddhist centre Dzogchen Beara. Mary uses what is readily available to create new work. She uses pages from her collection of old books to paint and draw on. Now living in Ardfield, Clonakilty, she continues to use the rugged sea vistas as a source of inspiration. You can read more about Mary here.

When Irish Design Shop's Clare and Laura came across artist Mary Callaghan's lino prints, the strong linear quality, and contrasting shapes, they thought of the potential to translate her work in cut glass.

Criostal na Rinne is situated in Ireland's Ancient East on the Celtic Coast in the picturesque Irish-speaking area of An Rinn, the Waterford Gaeltacht; and is owned and run by Eamonn Terry, a native of the area.

As a former master craftsman cutter with Waterford Crystal, before establishing his own crystal studio in 1987, Eamonn has honed his craft for over 45 years, producing Irish crystal of breathtaking quality and beauty.  Having been on our radar for some time, Eamonn was contacted as the ideal collaborator on this special project. 

Both Eamonn and Mary shared an enthusiasm for the project which resulted in a seamless collaborative process. Three designs were chosen based on Mary's Dursey Collection of lino prints, a series which draws inspiration from three seasons Mary spent living on the rocky outcrop off the wild South West coast of Cork. Entitled "Fields", "Waves" and "Stone Walls", the satisfyingly weighty tumblers sit comfortably in the hand. Eamonn has ground the base of each glass, keeping the design minimal but for the inclusion of our Áras logo, engraved on the base of each.

A Collaboration

A Collaboration

  Posted by Grace Doran in: Criostal ne rinne, Irish glass, Mary Callaghan, whiskey tumbler

Mary graduated with a degree in Electronic Engineering from CIT in 2003 and worked as an engineer with a multi-national company designing electronic devices. Moving to Beara in 2008, she came to know the great community of artists there and began working as a graphic designer for the Buddhist centre Dzogchen Beara. Mary uses what is readily available to create new work. She uses pages from her collection of old books to paint and draw on. Now living in Ardfield, Clonakilty, she continues to use the rugged sea vistas as a source of inspiration. You can read more about Mary here.

When Irish Design Shop's Clare and Laura came across artist Mary Callaghan's lino prints, the strong linear quality, and contrasting shapes, they thought of the potential to translate her work in cut glass.

Criostal na Rinne is situated in Ireland's Ancient East on the Celtic Coast in the picturesque Irish-speaking area of An Rinn, the Waterford Gaeltacht; and is owned and run by Eamonn Terry, a native of the area.

As a former master craftsman cutter with Waterford Crystal, before establishing his own crystal studio in 1987, Eamonn has honed his craft for over 45 years, producing Irish crystal of breathtaking quality and beauty.  Having been on our radar for some time, Eamonn was contacted as the ideal collaborator on this special project. 

Both Eamonn and Mary shared an enthusiasm for the project which resulted in a seamless collaborative process. Three designs were chosen based on Mary's Dursey Collection of lino prints, a series which draws inspiration from three seasons Mary spent living on the rocky outcrop off the wild South West coast of Cork. Entitled "Fields", "Waves" and "Stone Walls", the satisfyingly weighty tumblers sit comfortably in the hand. Eamonn has ground the base of each glass, keeping the design minimal but for the inclusion of our Áras logo, engraved on the base of each.

Ailbhe Gerrard - Brookfield Farm

Ailbhe Gerrard - Brookfield Farm

  Posted by Grace Doran

Brookfield Farm is an award winning farm based in Lough Derg In Tipperary, specialising in hand dipped beeswax candles. Ailbhe Gerrard has farmed Brookfield Farm for over six years, driven by her vision of bringing agriculture back to its sustainable roots. Her work is available for purchase here.

Tell us a little about Brookfield Farm

Brookfield Farm ethos is based on farming, food and craft beeswax candle production while maintaining biodiversity, wildlife sustainability and a strong link with end product consumers.  The farm has three main integrated elements:  Hive Gifts, a visitor experience and a productive diversified farm.  The farm and business were founded by Ailbhe Gerrard, a farmer, bee keeper and craft maker of beeswax candles.

Brookfield Farm Hive Gifts is an original concept, a full-cycle bee-keeping and beeswax candle production which also educates visitors and customers about the importance of bees and other pollinators.

The Brookfield Farm visitor experience currently welcomes visitors for educational farm walks and talks and candle making demonstrations. An important part of Brookfield Farm business, the next phase of development envisages developing a small visitor centre to allow more visitors to take part in candle making demonstrations.

Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite aspect of the space?

My studio is very basic, housed in a shed in the farmyard overlooking Lough Derg. It has a corrugated roof, cement walls and floor, and houses the wax melters and it’s where we set up to dip and pour the dinner and scented beeswax candles.  There is however, a spectacular view through the doors of the lake, fields, trees and mountains beyond, when we raise our heads from hand dipping wicks in hot beeswax!

What is your favourite tool and why?

My favourite tool right now is my beeswax melter, as I made it with local welders and plumbers. It’s a beast, huge and heavy, but allows slow and careful melting of the precious beeswax, which must not be over heated. My second favourite must be my hive tools – critical to lever the bee frames out of their hive boxes.

Can you describe the making process behind your beeswax candles?

The beeswax candles are part of a grand cycle. We start with the 10 acres of flower meadows we sow every spring. The flowers provide varied forage for the bees throughout the seasons, and we care for the bees, ensuring they have enough room to raise their brood and bring in nectar.

Then we harvest a honey surplus in autumn (with thanks to the bees) and process the beeswax into our all natural and healthy hand crafted candles and balms. We never have enough wax, so bring in some beeswax to add to our own.

The candle making is also quite a process!  I also love mixing essential oils and hand pouring pure beeswax into decorated glass for our all natural scented beeswax candles. The appeal of Brookfield Farm hand made beeswax candles is the naturalness of the entire process, from bee keeping to hand crafting. The candles burn with a beautiful golden light, and importantly, don’t pollute the indoor atmosphere as paraffin wax does.

What led you to choose farming as a profession? What do you love most about it? What are the challenges?

I always wanted to live in the country, and was very happy to be able to move back to Coolbawn in Tipperary where I was brought up. Farming myself seemed the most logical and positive way to impact on the food and environment debate. A three year MSc in Organic Farming followed study in Environment and Sustainable Development, giving lots of ideas of what and how to farm.

Brookfield Farm is a diverse farm, with beautiful broadleaf forestry, a native woodland, tillage crops, certified organic lamb enterprise, 3 hectares of pollinator and wild bird friendly flower meadows and honey bees. The land runs down to the shores of Lough Derg in Tipperary, and is popular with visitors for summer open days.

What do I love about farming?

I love the beauty of the landscape I farm, and am proud of the impact Brookfield Farm has made so far in environmental and social areas. I also teach in Gurteen Agricultural College, and encourage students to understand looking after nature while producing food. I have helped hundreds of agricultural students understand the alternatives to intensive farming

As a craft maker, I have demonstrated the craft of beeswax candle dipping at public shows for the Design and Craft Council of Ireland. This has explained to the public the environmental aspects of bees.

Ailbhe Gerrard - Brookfield Farm

Ailbhe Gerrard - Brookfield Farm

  Posted by Grace Doran

Brookfield Farm is an award winning farm based in Lough Derg In Tipperary, specialising in hand dipped beeswax candles. Ailbhe Gerrard has farmed Brookfield Farm for over six years, driven by her vision of bringing agriculture back to its sustainable roots. Her work is available for purchase here.

Tell us a little about Brookfield Farm

Brookfield Farm ethos is based on farming, food and craft beeswax candle production while maintaining biodiversity, wildlife sustainability and a strong link with end product consumers.  The farm has three main integrated elements:  Hive Gifts, a visitor experience and a productive diversified farm.  The farm and business were founded by Ailbhe Gerrard, a farmer, bee keeper and craft maker of beeswax candles.

Brookfield Farm Hive Gifts is an original concept, a full-cycle bee-keeping and beeswax candle production which also educates visitors and customers about the importance of bees and other pollinators.

The Brookfield Farm visitor experience currently welcomes visitors for educational farm walks and talks and candle making demonstrations. An important part of Brookfield Farm business, the next phase of development envisages developing a small visitor centre to allow more visitors to take part in candle making demonstrations.

Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite aspect of the space?

My studio is very basic, housed in a shed in the farmyard overlooking Lough Derg. It has a corrugated roof, cement walls and floor, and houses the wax melters and it’s where we set up to dip and pour the dinner and scented beeswax candles.  There is however, a spectacular view through the doors of the lake, fields, trees and mountains beyond, when we raise our heads from hand dipping wicks in hot beeswax!

What is your favourite tool and why?

My favourite tool right now is my beeswax melter, as I made it with local welders and plumbers. It’s a beast, huge and heavy, but allows slow and careful melting of the precious beeswax, which must not be over heated. My second favourite must be my hive tools – critical to lever the bee frames out of their hive boxes.

Can you describe the making process behind your beeswax candles?

The beeswax candles are part of a grand cycle. We start with the 10 acres of flower meadows we sow every spring. The flowers provide varied forage for the bees throughout the seasons, and we care for the bees, ensuring they have enough room to raise their brood and bring in nectar.

Then we harvest a honey surplus in autumn (with thanks to the bees) and process the beeswax into our all natural and healthy hand crafted candles and balms. We never have enough wax, so bring in some beeswax to add to our own.

The candle making is also quite a process!  I also love mixing essential oils and hand pouring pure beeswax into decorated glass for our all natural scented beeswax candles. The appeal of Brookfield Farm hand made beeswax candles is the naturalness of the entire process, from bee keeping to hand crafting. The candles burn with a beautiful golden light, and importantly, don’t pollute the indoor atmosphere as paraffin wax does.

What led you to choose farming as a profession? What do you love most about it? What are the challenges?

I always wanted to live in the country, and was very happy to be able to move back to Coolbawn in Tipperary where I was brought up. Farming myself seemed the most logical and positive way to impact on the food and environment debate. A three year MSc in Organic Farming followed study in Environment and Sustainable Development, giving lots of ideas of what and how to farm.

Brookfield Farm is a diverse farm, with beautiful broadleaf forestry, a native woodland, tillage crops, certified organic lamb enterprise, 3 hectares of pollinator and wild bird friendly flower meadows and honey bees. The land runs down to the shores of Lough Derg in Tipperary, and is popular with visitors for summer open days.

What do I love about farming?

I love the beauty of the landscape I farm, and am proud of the impact Brookfield Farm has made so far in environmental and social areas. I also teach in Gurteen Agricultural College, and encourage students to understand looking after nature while producing food. I have helped hundreds of agricultural students understand the alternatives to intensive farming

As a craft maker, I have demonstrated the craft of beeswax candle dipping at public shows for the Design and Craft Council of Ireland. This has explained to the public the environmental aspects of bees.

Rebecca Killen

Rebecca Killen

  Posted by Aisling Walsh

Rebecca Killen is an award-winning ceramicist based in picturesque Castlewellan, Co. Down. She specialises in slip casting to create both functional and decorative pieces which draw on a sense of nostalgia. Rebecca's work is available to purchase here.

-Tell us a little bit about what you make:

I aim to create ceramic products that can evoke memories, a sense of nostalgia or serve as decorative pieces in the home to be used and treasured for years to come. Our bottles, dishes and vessels are made in small batches using the slip casting technique. This involves pouring liquid bone china into plaster moulds which I have made from found objects and turned forms.

-Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite thing about the space and how do you get into the mindset of making?

I have had a busy and exciting Summer, moving into my very own ceramics studio. The space is located at a horse riding centre beside a forest in Castlewellan, Co. Down. It used to be a tack shop for the centre but when I arrived we had a blank canvas to play with, to make our own and create a multipurpose space where I can work from and display the products. I have tried to create an inviting studio where people can not only view and buy the work but also get an understanding of how the pieces are made.

My favourite thing about the space is the tranquillity of the location, it is so peaceful with beautiful views across the County Down countryside yet there is a certain buzz about the place with people coming and going to the trekking centre.

To get into the mindset of making I usually listen to podcasts or audiobooks, they really help me to focus on the day’s tasks and when doing some of the more repetitive parts of the making process. Some of the podcasts I listen to are orientated towards pottery and creative businesses where others are purely for escapism.

-What is your favourite tool and why?

I don’t use anything overly complicated in the studio, but couldn’t create the work I do without a few simple tools; fine paintbrushes, sharp pottery knives and I seem to get quite attached to certain sponges that fit precisely in my hand to smooth along the rims of the bottles.

-Can you describe the making process and inspiration behind your Homegrown collection?

I love working through all the required processes to make a piece of work, it takes around 2 weeks from start to finish but there is something very relaxing about getting into a rhythm of working whether it be casting a batch of work, sponging away the little impurities in the clay, glazing the pieces or applying the hand painted decoration. The Homegrown collection celebrates places of historic industry throughout Ireland. I have been collecting beautiful antique bottles from old mineral water companies and pharmacies for a few years. The shapes and textural detail on the bottles are really intriguing and aim to connect the viewer to a particular place. All the pieces are created using bone china, in itself a material with traditional associations but I hope to bring a fresh approach to the medium with the Homegrown collection offering bottles in millennial pink, dusky blue and white each finished with stripes of gold along the rim.

-What led you to choose this craft as a profession? What do you love most about it?

I have loved working with clay since studying art at school, my teacher was also a potter and his passion for clay was infectious so he has a lot to answer for. My journey into a career in ceramics has been quite methodical, I specialised in ceramics at the Belfast School of Art and took a year out to study business at a liberal arts college in the States. After graduating, setting up a business combining my passion for ceramics and my new found skills in business felt like a natural progression. In saying this it hasn’t been all plain sailing, I have had so much help over the past few years with business and creative mentors and have completed a business development scheme (Craft NI’s Making It programme) which was massively beneficial in the early growth of my business. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love every day, it is such a privilege and something I try to not take for granted. I am loving being in my new studio, opening this space has really been a dream come true for me.

A selection of Rebecca's Homegrown collection is available to purchase here.

Rebecca Killen

Rebecca Killen

  Posted by Aisling Walsh

Rebecca Killen is an award-winning ceramicist based in picturesque Castlewellan, Co. Down. She specialises in slip casting to create both functional and decorative pieces which draw on a sense of nostalgia. Rebecca's work is available to purchase here.

-Tell us a little bit about what you make:

I aim to create ceramic products that can evoke memories, a sense of nostalgia or serve as decorative pieces in the home to be used and treasured for years to come. Our bottles, dishes and vessels are made in small batches using the slip casting technique. This involves pouring liquid bone china into plaster moulds which I have made from found objects and turned forms.

-Could you describe your studio to us? What is your favourite thing about the space and how do you get into the mindset of making?

I have had a busy and exciting Summer, moving into my very own ceramics studio. The space is located at a horse riding centre beside a forest in Castlewellan, Co. Down. It used to be a tack shop for the centre but when I arrived we had a blank canvas to play with, to make our own and create a multipurpose space where I can work from and display the products. I have tried to create an inviting studio where people can not only view and buy the work but also get an understanding of how the pieces are made.

My favourite thing about the space is the tranquillity of the location, it is so peaceful with beautiful views across the County Down countryside yet there is a certain buzz about the place with people coming and going to the trekking centre.

To get into the mindset of making I usually listen to podcasts or audiobooks, they really help me to focus on the day’s tasks and when doing some of the more repetitive parts of the making process. Some of the podcasts I listen to are orientated towards pottery and creative businesses where others are purely for escapism.

-What is your favourite tool and why?

I don’t use anything overly complicated in the studio, but couldn’t create the work I do without a few simple tools; fine paintbrushes, sharp pottery knives and I seem to get quite attached to certain sponges that fit precisely in my hand to smooth along the rims of the bottles.

-Can you describe the making process and inspiration behind your Homegrown collection?

I love working through all the required processes to make a piece of work, it takes around 2 weeks from start to finish but there is something very relaxing about getting into a rhythm of working whether it be casting a batch of work, sponging away the little impurities in the clay, glazing the pieces or applying the hand painted decoration. The Homegrown collection celebrates places of historic industry throughout Ireland. I have been collecting beautiful antique bottles from old mineral water companies and pharmacies for a few years. The shapes and textural detail on the bottles are really intriguing and aim to connect the viewer to a particular place. All the pieces are created using bone china, in itself a material with traditional associations but I hope to bring a fresh approach to the medium with the Homegrown collection offering bottles in millennial pink, dusky blue and white each finished with stripes of gold along the rim.

-What led you to choose this craft as a profession? What do you love most about it?

I have loved working with clay since studying art at school, my teacher was also a potter and his passion for clay was infectious so he has a lot to answer for. My journey into a career in ceramics has been quite methodical, I specialised in ceramics at the Belfast School of Art and took a year out to study business at a liberal arts college in the States. After graduating, setting up a business combining my passion for ceramics and my new found skills in business felt like a natural progression. In saying this it hasn’t been all plain sailing, I have had so much help over the past few years with business and creative mentors and have completed a business development scheme (Craft NI’s Making It programme) which was massively beneficial in the early growth of my business. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love every day, it is such a privilege and something I try to not take for granted. I am loving being in my new studio, opening this space has really been a dream come true for me.

A selection of Rebecca's Homegrown collection is available to purchase here.