Today, we do not rely on trades like previous generations, the plastic bucket has beaten the basket, the flat pack furniture is a fraction of the price of a handmade piece and fast fashion polyester has filled all clothes rails leaving Irish made clothing to high end markets.

Despite the gloom of globalisation and mass production there still lives a few strong craftspeople who do their jobs out of their own necessity and passion for it rather than societies dependency on their skills. I recently visited Heritage Day in Ballina, County Mayo, one of the most loved days out in the west of Ireland, and spoke to craftspeople of various disciplines.

Three people particularly stood out to me as having a skilled hand and strong enthusiasm for their craft and reminded me of some of the craftspeople that the Museum has documented throughout the last century. Below you will find some parallel portraits of craft past and present.

Above: Weaver Peadar ó Maolchiaráin, Roisin na Mainne, Carna, Co. Galway at his loom.
 
Below: Dean Stapleton of Stapleton Tweed, weaving on a 1930s loom that he restored.

Dubliner, Dean Stapleton, has very quickly grasped his craft by the shuttle! Dean started weaving with a small hand loom he received as a Christmas present during the covid pandemic. Since then, Dean has trained in Donegal under Master Weaver, John Heena. He has repaired multiple looms and now runs his own weaving business from his workshop in north County Dublin where he makes crios belts, scarves and other textiles using Irish wool.

Above: Cooper Richard Wading of Killinick, Wexford. Richard is pressing his feet forward so that the timber is clenched by the shaving horse (also known as a Cooper’s Mare), allowing him to use a hollowing knife to dress it.

Below: Killian O’Mahony of O’Mahony Craft Cooperage using a hollowing knife to shape timber for a cask. 

Killian O’Mahony has been in the coopering trade for fifteen years and seen the rise in interest. He estimates there are about a dozen fully trained coopers around the country. Many coopers today get a lot of their trade from the whiskey business, but Killian also works regularly in the repair of many different types of butter churns. He has a passion for working with them and returning these objects to being functional pieces so their use may live on. His workshop is in east Cork and he hopes one day to pass the craft and knowledge down within his family. 

Above: Weaving willow rods in the making of a coracle boat in Oldbridge, County Meath, before it was rowed on the River Boyne (1930)

Below: Tom Delaney of Ould Crafty weaving willow rods in the making of a coracle boat in Ballina, County Mayo, before it was rowed on the River Moy (2026)

I am yet to find someone with a bigger grá for baskets than Tom Delaney, also known as Ould Crafty. I had the pleasure of visiting Tom’s workshop a few months ago alongside my colleague Noel Campbell and met him again at this year’s Heritage Day in Ballina. His grandfather was a basketmaker and Tom was able to trace back to the same hedgerow that his grandfather harvested willow from. You can read more about Tom’s coracle here.

Although the number of people practicing traditional skills like these has faded over the last century, there were approximately two dozen traditional craft demonstrations and stalls at this year’s festival. Social media and summer festivals have assisted greatly in providing a new pathway for those like Tom, Dean and Killian to both network and promote their craft. Events such as Ballina Heritage Day and others are imperative for both the revival and survival of traditional skills. I would strongly recommend finding a similar festival day near you to engage with the tradition bearers of today!  

Further reading:

• Traditional country craftsmen, J.G. Jenkins

• Ireland’s traditional crafts, David Shaw Smith

• With special thanks to Dean Stapleton, Killian O’Mahony and Tom Delaney

If you have any questions or comments on this blog post, you can contact me via email: tgaffney@museum.ie