Crafty types put sparkle into design showcase

There’s something about Lynsey de Burca’s jewellery that makes you want to pick it up and touch it. The Kinvara native, who now lives in Moycullen, works with sterling silver gemstones, as well as locally-sourced stones and driftwood to create elegant accessories that are simply beautiful.

A graduate of the National College of Arts and Design who has diploma in gemmology from NUIG, Lynsey grew up by the seashore and takes her inspiration from fishing paraphernalia including ropes, lobster pots and nets as well as seaweed.

More recently she has branched into creating wire drawings with the material she has left over from soldering jewellery. These drawings range from teapots and jackets to simple human figures and prices start at €30 while it’s €40 upwards for the jewellery.

Lynsey is one of a group of six Galway craftworkers who are being supported by Galway County and City Enterprise Board as they travel to Dublin this weekend to take part in Showcase, the Expo fair at the RDS. Showcase, now in its 37th year, is run by the Crafts Council of Ireland and gives over 350 craftworkers a chance to present their work to national and international buyers, explains Lynsey, adding that the Galway group will be joining such highly regarded craftspeople as jeweller Alan Ardiff and potter Nicholas Mosse.

“The idea is to show off Galway craft so we can get it into retailers in Ireland and export it to Europe and especially the States. Taking part will give us exposure, because this is a huge platform.”

While other individuals from Galway are also taking part, this six have the extra bonus of being supported by the Enterprise Board, both financially and with training on how to market their work at Showcase. 

The crafts from the six are hugely varied and include a range of postcards, calendars, t-shirts, mugs and cotton bags, with quirky designs from city company Olyart. Its designs are created using modern computer technology and are geared at both the tourist market and special events.

What’s unusual about Olyart is that the images – many of them depicting Ireland – are created by two Polish women who have made Galway their home. Alex Kieldanowicz is an architect by training while Joanna is a teacher, editor and librarian. They set up Olyart about a year ago and it’s going in the right direction, they say.

“It’s starting to be that people are coming to us rather than us going to them. Also it’s provoked an interest in our broader design work.”They started off with postcards and cards, which depict quirky Irish scenes – rain and wind feature a lot! – and then moved on to events such as birthdays and hen parties.

“We try to show Ireland as we see it, as foreigners,” they explain. Their designs are available in shops in Galway City and Spiddal as well as at as in the Cliff of Moher Visitor Centre and Croagh Patrick. They have received a special Showcase boost as their 2012 calendar was selected by the event’s judging panel to be exhibited in the main area of the RDS.

Fergal Costello’s business, TouchWood was born from his years as a champion Irish dancer, who has toured the world with shows including Lord of the Dance.

He started his crafts career as a furniture designer, studying first in the GMIT college in Lettfrack and later continuing in England. Over the years he had won many medals for his fancy footwork and those inspired his idea for display plaques for medals.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.