On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day I’m dedicating this post to all things Irish and of course silver! It seems to be the week to compile lists of all the good things in our country so I’m doing my bit for the silver side of things. Thankfully the silversmiths of Ireland make this a very easy job. So in no particular order.
1. Cara Murphy’s silver. I can’t pick just one so here’s a sample of her work.
2. The Tara Brooch. I know we’ve been looking at it for years on the covers of school copy books and in tacky reproductions but it’s worth taking a look at the real thing. You won’t be dissappointed, the work and detail is truely amazing.
3.Seamus Gill Silver. I love this silver jug, unfortunately the only picture I could find of it has it being held by a naked blue woman. If you can see past that I’m sure you’ll appreciate the complex forms and beautiful design of this piece.
4. The Ardagh Chalice. Like the Tara brooch familiarity really has caused us to overlook the beauty of this chalice. I saw it in the ‘flesh’ for the first time this year. It was smaller than I had expected which only made the level of detail all the more unbelievable. Go and have a look for yourself, it’s in the National Museum on Kildare St, Dublin.
5. Kevin O’ Dwyer’s teapots. This Tullamore based silversmith makes these amazing creations that are just crying out to be poured! If anyone has one of these lying around I’d love to call for tea!
There you have it, five good things about Ireland. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!