I had a lovely weekend with my mother this weekend, we both went to Donegal on the North West coast of Ireland. It really is a lovely part of the country. The weather was nice enough but we did have some rain. It's a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland so I get an extra day off work :) While in Donegal we visited  Donegal Craft Village- you would all love it! It is a centre for contemporary arts and crafts where artisan art and craft workers produce and showcase their creations. There are six workshops clustered around a courtyard setting. I will give you a brief overview of the 6 craft workers on site, hope you enjoy..

Clare O' Presco Handweaving: While visiting this workshop the lady was busy as a bee on her traditional Donegal loom weaving away. Such wonderful colours and patterns too with lovely tweeds on show including scarfs, bags, hats, shawls, etc..

Next studio and showroom was McGonigle Glass which had a really contemporary feel to it. Each item on show was individually crafted using fusing, slumping, engraving and bead making techniques. Everything was so vibrant and pretty. Pieces included hairslides and clips, earrings, bracelets, bowls, rings, etc...

Next was an artist Johnny Mc Cabe with an array of fabulous paintings from landscapes to portraits. Such a wonderful talent. We could see the artist in his workshop working on a painting of a dog, such an inspiration  for any up and coming artist.

Round the corner the next studio was that of Niall Bruton Jewellery and Sculpture. Each item in the studio was so detailed and creative with a very modern twist. For me, this is the perfect place to get a special unique handcrafted present and in particular engagment or wedding rings. There were many celtic designs nad larger pieces of sculpture- really innovative!

The final craft studio to visit was that of Michael Griffin entitled the "Raw" Studio. This man is a self taught sculptor who works with bog woods and to say his work is amazing is an understatement. The majority of the works comprised of sculptures of birds and fish, but there were also abstract forms and a really pretty piece entitled pink lady.

There was also an artisan food coffee shop and mini bakery on site, however it was crowded so we didn't get the opportunity to visit, maybe next time. It is called Aroma- and it is true to its name as the smell of the food outside was amazing- next time I'll visit it for sure.

Overall my visit to Donegal Craft Village was really inspiring. It was interesting to see firsthand the craftpeople working away in their studios and galleries.  And for any of you who may be in or around the Donegal area-  it is definitely worth a visit to Donegal Craft Village!

Hello my dear blog friend and followers

I had news this week that my Country Heritage Blog  has been longlisted in the Best Art and Culture Blog(sponsored by Poetry Ireland)  category of the Irish Blog Awards 2010. I don't know who nominated my blog as it is the blog that I update the least. I had never heard of the Irish Blog Awards until about a month ago. I'm very grateful to get longlisted and thanks to all my blog friends which ever of my blogs you visit :-)