JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1983

UrnsCrafts Council of Ireland Thomas Prior House Merrion Road Dublin 4 Telephone 680764 / 603070

IR£ 2 Million TargetFulfilled at Trade FairIn his speech opening the SeventhNational Crafts Trade Fair on 17thJanuary, Mr. Eddie Collins TD, Ministerfor State at the Department of Industryand Energy hoped that the growth ofsales of previous trade fairs wouldcontinue and a figure of £2 million mightbe achieved this year. In the final analysisthe Minister's hopes were fulfilled as theprovisional total of direct orders taken atthe fair were £2.1 m. This represents a25% increase on 1982 which is quitesignificant in the light of the generalworld trade recession and the depressedstate of the economy here. Export orderswere up by almost 50% to achieve a totalof just over £950,000, subject to con-firmation with C.T.T.'s figures from thebuyers. The buoyancy came from theexport sales as the home market salesat a little over £1 million were onlymarginally up.

Both hand knits and all other textilessales were up some 25/30% on theprevious year.

A total of 225 exhibitors were showing in205 stands, the biggest number yetaccommodated at the venue where anupstairs annexe had to be utilised. Some900 buyers registered, not only from thehome market but from USA, Japan,Canada, UK and some Europeancountries.

Crafts Council Awardsto CraftsmenMichael and Johanna Roche of KiltreaBridge Pottery, won the Crafts Council ofIreland award for the best stand showinghard goods at the 7th National CraftsTrade Fair and weaver Muriel Beckett,won the award for soft goods.

The jury comprising Miss Blanaid Reddin

of Bord Failte and a previous chairman ofthe Council, Mr. John Jenkins ofKilkenny Design Workshops and aManagement Committee member of theCouncil and a Management Committeemember of the Council and Mr. BillMurphy of the Society of Designers inIreland had as their brief not only theproduct, and stand design, but thegraphics, promotional material andoverall presentation in the context of atrade fair.

l-r Mr. Padraig White, Managing Director,IDA: The Minister of State, Mr. EddieCollins; Frank Sutton, Executive Officerand Professor Justin Keating, Chairman,of the Crafts Council.Charles Zanoni showing examples of hisnew product range of copper wire treesat the National Crafts Trade Fair.

Both winners were first time exhibitorsat the Trade Fair and will have the choiceof a free stand in the 1984 event.

European Crafts Conference 1983 Details of the World Crafts Council European Conference to be held in Ireland in September 1983 have now been finalised and the programme and application forms will be shortly on their way.

This is a European conference, not an Irish one, though Ireland is the host and organising country. For this reason, the main weight of allocation of places at the conference and at the various workshops which will form the core of the project will be given to European professional craftsmen. While Ireland is one of some 20 plus European countries with craft related organisations, it will, however, have more likely a participation weighting of 25% rather than 5%.

The workshops in the various disciplines will be led by many major names in the professional craft world — glass blowers Bert Van Loo from Holland and Anders Wingard from Sweden; potters Jean Biagini (France), Hugo Rabaey, Belgium; Marianne Straub and Mary Restieaux, June Tiley, Gwenfred Shries all textiles; Ann*Marie Shillito and lb Anderssen jewellery and silversmithing; Marc Goldring in leather and Verena Sieber Fuchs, a contemporary lace craftsmen is some of the line up of talent.

While the workshops will be fairly intensive and little public exposure is likely, the organisers at local level will be making sure that the evenings of the week long events will be so planned as to ensure that contact is made between the visiting craftsmen and those Irish craftsmen not attending the Conference.

Slide shows, exhibitions, and various other activities will all be part of the programme which aims at a very high standard of professional craftsmenship.

In 1970 the World Crafts Council General Assembly was held in Dublin and remained Dublin based — this time the activities will be more widely spread: textiles in Galway, Ciare, Cork and Dublin; glass in Dublin and Kilkenny; jewejlery, silver and gold smithing in Cashel, Kilkenny, Dublin and Wicklow; leather in Kilkenny; lace and basketry in An Grianan.

New Year Vestments Mass for the first Sunday in Advent in Kilworth Parish church was celebrated by Cannon Condon in a new set of vestments designed and made to commission by Mel Bradley and Deirdre Campion of the Kilworth Craft Workshops.

A beautifully balanced PX motif screen printed on to the fabric was most effective against the varying colours of the vestments for the different occasions — red on white, gold on green and so on.

Cannon Condon was evidently delighted, by the way in which he drew the congregation's attention to the fact that his New Year vestments were made in the village.

"Creative Hands" in Bratislava The Czechoslovak Committee of the World Crafts Council has announced a forthcoming exhibition of Folk Art and Art and Crafts production to be held in Bratislava in May June 1983.

The exhibition has been organised with the cooperation of the various relative organisations in Czechoslovakia and is designed to acquaint the professional craftsman and public alike of the present state of art, craft and folk art in the Republic.

The exhibition will consist of selected items both in the field of original production for human environment, both in terms of interior decoration and free space, and the conservation of cultural and artistic monuments.

The attention of visitors to the exhibition will be drawn to the dialogue between creative hands, invention, feeling and experience on one hand and original and authentic materials on the other. The organisers feel that there is a growing urgency in the problem of meeting the demands of people for objects possessing personal characteristics and on a human scale of values in the face of meeting a social demand instead through a wide range of products made from large scale industrial production which, though efficient, fails to satisfy more demanding individuals.

The rich traditions of the Slovak and Czech people will, it is hoped, show proper perspectives in development in stonecutting, glass, ceramics, book binding, smithcraft, willow, leather and other crafts.

N Ireland Guild of Designer Craftsmen This newly formed Guild held their first exhibition at the Local Enterprises Development Unit Business centre in Belfast in December.

Exhibitors, many of whom are familiar names at the Crafts Councils Trade Fair and Kilkenny Design Workshops exhibitions, included ceramacists Anne McNulty, David Maybin, Tom Agnew, John and Linda Murphy, Peter Meanley, Rory Shearer, Sean McCluskey and Judith Lockhart; Jewellers Mary Doran Bill and Christina Steenson, Geraldine Anderson, Gillian Gee and Helen Hill. Cecelia Stephens and Karen Hay-Edie showed wall hangings and rugs, and Fionntan Gogarty's familiar batiks, Anne Smith's patchwork, Harry Savages' glass and enamels by Deirdre McCrory completed the successful show.

With that company the new guild has a strong nucleus of good professionals and augers well for the future of crafts in the area which has been traditionally strong, but went into a decline in the early '70's.

Craft Training Leaflet Kilkenny Design Workshops publishes a leaflet entitled "Careers as designers and craftsmen". The leaflet describes the work of designers and craftsmen, their employment prospects and the alternative methods of becoming trained. Part of the leaflet lists craftsmen who run short-term courses. Not only does this information inform young people but it also advertises the services of the craftsmen concerned to a wide audience. For example, the leaflet is received by all second level schools and is mailed to members of the Institute of Careers Guidance Counsellors.

Craftsmen wishing to be included in this leaflet should send details to Gerald Tyler, Kilkenny Design Workshops, Kilkenny, giving details of the course(s) offered.

Scarce Timber Birr Castle Estates, Birr, Co. Offaly, through Mr. David Wilson, the Manager, has advised the Crafts Council of Ireland that the Estate has available for sale on an ongoing basis a variety of scarce timbers including Cherry, Boxwood and Yew as well as Oak, Ash and Larch.

Mr. Wilson may be contacted by telephone at Birr 56 or at Birr Castle Estates.

1982 ReviewOfficial Opening ofBallydehob WorkshopProfessor Justin Keating,.officiallyopened Jim O'Donnell's workshop inBallydehob on 17th July. He wasintroduced by the Dublin artist GeraldDavis.

Speaking to the large gathering present,Professor Keating said that theenvironment in which the workshop wassituated was significant in terms of theway people ought to live. The rush to livein cities, to buy things made in thousandsin preference to the handmade wasobscene. Things should be of the placeand bear the print of the personality ofthose workers who had chosen to live insuch an environment. QuotingSchumacher, the writer of "Small isBeautiful", Professor Keating said of theJim O'Donnell workshop that all thoselistening to him were in the presence of"economics as if people mattered".

The distinction between art objectsstanding to be looked at and craft thingswhich are to be used is, Professor Keatingfelt, beginning to break down. "What ishere about us fits the scale — our ownscale, part of an understandableenvironment." He continued-. "In Irelandwe use words as a therapy to avoid facingreality; we use words magically to makeunpleasant facts go away. This workshop,on the other hand, is an example of whatpeople can make up their minds to do.The whole style of the development isdone with care and a care for the placeand the materials."

Professor Justin Keating drew attentionto the fact that the raw material used byJim O'Donnell is Irish timber. Though theuse of local materials saves imports, it isnot the only good reason for praising itsuse; the easiest course might have been tobuy imported timber. In the trees, thesoil, the climate, there was, he suggested,nothing to prevent the use of localtimber, but it needed someone like JimO'Donnell to take the trouble to set itright. The wood in the O'Donnellfurniture he saw as impeccable because itwas done correctly-the result was a joyto see Irishness and quality co-existing.

In workshops like Jim O'Donnells therewere things which in a design sense wereageless and right. "Maybe now at last",Professor Keating concluded, "we arebeginning to have the wit to buy Irishthings which have those qualities."

Mr. Hugh Coveney, Lord Mayor of Cork (right) who presented the £500 Crafts Councilof Ireland Award to winner Marie Foley (Centre). Mrs. Alison Erridge, Vice Chairmanof the Crafts Council is on the left.

Crafts Council PrizeA purchase prize of I R£500 to be knownas the "Crafts Council of Ireland Award"was awarded to the best Irish potterunder 30 years of age exhibiting at theInternational Competition Exhibitionwhich was part of the InternationalCeramics Symposium and Exhibitionwhich took place in Cork fromSeptember 24th to October 4th. Theaward was won by Marie Foley a graduateof the Crawford Municipal Art School inCork.

On 24th September the Lord Mayor ofCork opened the first ever InternationalSymposium & Exhibition of Ceramic Artto be held in this country. The event tookplace on the premises of Cork Art Potteryin Carrigaline, Co. Cork.

The brainchild of the Society of CorkPotters, this major event comprised a ten-day symposium for 150 potters and amajor ceramics exhibition which was ondisplay until October 30th. Skilled craftpotters from all over Ireland assembled inCarrigaline where they were joined bymany others from over 20 differentcountries.

The main exhibition was a competitiveone and many major artists submittedtheir works. The overall first prize ofI R£1,500 was won by anIrish girl who lives and works in London,Terry O'Farrell, who won this award for a

piece of sculpture. Another Irish entry,by Pat Connor of Schull, won the secondprize of I R£1,000 which was sponsoredby the E.S.B.

Running concurrently with the mainexhibition was another comprising threechosen pieces by each of the pottersparticipating in the symposium. Also onview were those pieces created during thesymposium itself so that the public hadan opportunity of seeing work inprogress, as it were.

The Crafts Council of Ireland Award hasnot yet been given the status of a "per-petual" award. This aspect will bereviewed in the light of the potentialdevelopment of the exhibition and itscontribution to improving the overallstandard of ceramic craftsmanship inIreland, particularly among the pottersunder 30 years of age.

The total prize money attached to theExhibition was I R£5,000, sponsored byCarrigaline Art Pottery, Crafts Council ofIreland, E.S.B., Calor Kosangas, Bord GasEireann and others.

The Symposium was essentially a ten dayworkshop covering production, Raku,Low Salt Firing, Decoration, Sculpture,Handbuilding, Mouldmaking andArchitectural Ceramics. Workshop leadershail from 8 countries including Ireland.

Kilworth Craft I DA Exhibition of Workshops/EEC Musical Instruments Kilworth Crafts Workshops were visited during the summer by Mr. John Catling, the Principal Administrative Officer of the Regional and Development Social Fund of the E.E.C.; with him came Mr. Michael Lynch of Muintir na Tire and Mr. Sean Hegarty, the National Secretary of Muintir na Tire. Mr. Hegarty is a member of the Kilworth Community Council and was mainly responsible for getting the craft workshops established in Kilworth.

This exhibition, held in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on 13th September 1982, was an interesting revelation of the skills in the craft of musical instrument making and restoration which are very much alive and well in Ireland today.

Thirteen craftsmen exhibited their work which varied in type from tin whistles to pipe organs (though, naturally, only photographic examples of the latter could be exhibited).

North Dublin Craft workers Association The Chairman, Professor Justin Keating opened an exhibition of the work of the North Dublin Craftworkers Association at Dame Street on 23rd June, 1982.

He spoke of his work to set on record his belief in the central importance of crafts to the life of the country. "In our history" he said, "We have had much trauma and as a result we have over compensated for the loss with talk and with music. We need to add to these making". He pointed out that we live in a world which is becoming bigger and more ruthless and that people are becoming alienated. "We need an identity. Perhaps the cure for alienation is the mark of the craftsmen's touch in what he makes".

The exhibition featured the work of craftsmen, all members of the Association.

Muriel Gahan Scholarship At the Press Reception and Prizegiving Ceremony which was held prior to the Royal Dublin Society's Crafts Exhibition in August, Mr. James Meenan, President of the Society, announced that from 1983 onwards the £500 award in the Royal Dublin Society Crafts Competition would be increased to £1,000 and in future would be known as the "Muriel Gahan Scholarship of Development Grant". It was hoped that through this award Dr. Gahan's name would be perpetually linked with the R.D.S. Crafts Competition and Exhibition which she had helped to establish and develop to its present high standard.

Irish Potter in Faenza Joanna O'Kane from Co. Donegal was the only Irish ceramic artist to have work exhibited in the 40th International Exhibition of Artist Ceramics at Faenza, in Italy.

Thirty four other countries are represented by the work of 281 exhibitors. The exhibition runs until 10th October.

Mr. Catling was on a tour of the Republic of Ireland to investigate community activities and cooperatives in the country.

Although Mr. Catling's reason for visiting Kilworth Craft Workshops was to discuss the local community's involvement in setting up the project, he quickly became very interested in the actual format of the workshops and the aims of the Crafts Council of Ireland in starting such a venture. Within the limited time available the Kilworth Project was discussed at length and with enthusiasm.

Prizes for Irish Potters It is reassuring to note that at the International Ceramics Exhibition in Cork in the Autumn of 1982, of the nine prizes offered amounting to £6,000, five of them were won by Irish potters.

The International jury awarded the overall first prize of £1,500 to Terry O'Farrell, Dun Laoghaire Art School trained, presently living in London. The second prize of £1,000 sponsored by the ESB was awarded to Pat Connor of Schull. The non functional/ decoration ceramic award of £500 and the Crafts Council award for the best Irish potter under 30 also worth £500 were both won by Marie Foley of the Crawford Municipal school of Art in Cork. Terry O'Farrell also won the sculpture award of £500 presented by Bayer Ireland Ltd.

Other prizewinners were Walter Keeler of UK, third overall, and studio production, both prizes of £500 each and presented by Bord Gas Eireann and Calor Kosangas; Sabine Nadler of Switzerland (surface decoration - £500 sponsored by CMS colours of England); Alexa Vincze also of Switzerland for glaze (£500 presented by Sneyd oxides of England).

Musical instrument making is a rather unique type of hand craft in that the 'product' is so specialised. In his opening speech, Mr. Padraig White, Managing Director of the IDA pointed out that the quality of a musical instrument is given regular and very exacting tests and if it fails to live up to these both the instrument and its maker will very soon find themselves out of work.

Conversation with musical instrument makers make it clear that they are in a special category when it comes to selling their crafts. Craft shops are hardly appropriate, neither are trade fairs, though the musical instrument maker's tendency to while away the time by playing their exhibits would enliven any trade fair. Most of their sales, therefore, are direct to the user on a commissioned basis and their publicity is by word of mouth; hence the reason why the IDA Exhibition in the National Concert Hall was such an interesting innovation. With most of the invited guests being musicians, there was a useful shop window for Irish musical instrument makers through which their customers could see, in one place and at one time, the best of Irish made musical instruments.

Irish Society for Design and Craftwork Exhibition The 29th Exhibition of the Irish Society for Design and Craftwork was opened by Mr. Desmond Downes at the Bank of Ireland Exhibition Hall in Dublin on 24th August. The 97 exhibits ranged over Jewellery, Silverwork, Enamelling Ceramics, Weaving, Embroidery, Graphics, Leatherwork, Fabric-printing, etc. The exhibition is open to professionals, amateurs and students. The Society is always commendably conscious of its responsibility to students.

Weaving ExhibitionOpening the exhibition of tapestries byClonakilty based international craftswoman Mie Preckler at the Triskel ArtsCentre, Cork on 21st September, FrankSutton, Executive Officer of the CraftsCouncil of Ireland, praised not only theartist but the medium itself.

The tapestry, he felt, was still muchregarded in this country as somethingbelonging to a museum, a church or someother public place whereas, he suggested,it equally well belonged to the home. "Aman's castle may not be his homeanymore, and the walls are neither coldstone nor da mpnor needing warmcovering as in older days, but thetapestry can and should have its place as athing of beauty and of lasting qualities asmuch as a picture."

"As in all artistic work", Mr. Suttonpointed out, " i t will never be as cheap tobuy tapestries again — as an artist'sreputation grows so does the value of herwork and we in Ireland should value whatMie Preckler is doing as do the collectorsin other countries who buy her work.Recent years have seen a huge rise in thenumber of pictures being bought, and theappreciation of art in general. 1983 is inEEC terms designated as the Year of theCrafts. Ireland will be host to theEuropean Conference. It would be ashame if our visitors found us wanting inappreciation of craftwork in general andtapestry in particular."

Exhibition ofJewellery at KDWRose Marie McGonagle, one of the 1981participants in the Kilworth Craftworkshops took part in a pre-Christmasexhibition of jewellery from eightworkshops which was featured atKilkenny Design Workshops in NassauStreet, Dublin 2.

The exhibition which got good reviewsfrom the press showed in addition towork by Rose Marie McGonagle, work byRudolf Heltzel, Inga Reed, Lully Kanner,Alex Placzek, Linda Uhlemann, Joe andAnne Kane and from KDW's own studio.

Robert McDonald, Jacques Quisquator (husband of the artist) and Frank Sutton,Crafts Council, discussing one of Mie Preckler's tapestries at the Triskel Arts Centre.

Gold Medal forMary LandyMary Landy from Carlow won theCalifornia Gold Medal for work ofoutstanding merit in the 1982 RoyalDublin Society Crafts Competition. Herentry, a superbly designed and executedbag in rush also won firstprize in the Rod, Rush and Straw-workSection of the Competition. Mrs. Landyhas been a constant prizewinner of thisSection in previous Royal Dublin SocietyCompetition.

Crafts Council MedalKilkenny Silversmith, Jim Kelly, won theCrafts Council of Ireland silver medal forwork of outstanding merit at the 1982RDS Craft Competition. The entry was aglass and silver bon bon jar, the glasselement having been handblown by theJerpoint Glass Maker, Keith Leadbetter,and the silver mounting and threedifferent lids being the work of Mr. Kelly.

Jim Kelly works in the silver workshop ofKilkenny Design Workshops and inaddition to the silver medal won also firstprize in the gold and silver section of thecompetition. He has been a previouswinner in the RDS Crafts Competition.

Crafts Council/IWSSymposiumOn the 25th August the Crafts Council ofIreland in cooperation with theInternational Wool Secretariat organisedan interesting half day Symposium forcraftworkers and small craft industriesusing woo! as the basic raw material.

Approximately 20 people, mainlyweavers and knitters attended.

The Symposium, which it is hoped will bethe first in a regular series, was concernedspecifically with providing an overview ofapparel trends in terms of colour,construction, design and other relevantdetails for the season of Spring 1983;trends for the Autumn of 1983 were alsoconsidered.

The Crafts Council of Ireland believesthat such a symposium provides avaluable and practical service andwelcomes the help and expertise recefvedfrom the International Wool Secretariat.

Craftworkers and small industries utilisingwool who would be interested inattending such a symposium in the futureshould advise the Crafts Council officesand they will be furnished with details ofthe next symposium.

Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers The Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers has had a very active year. It's membership has now reached 130, with enquiries coming in all the time.

The main event of the year was the most successful first exhibition held in the Bank of Ireland Exhibition Hall in September. Running for two weeks, it attracted a record attendance.

Courses in weaving, spinning, dyeing and basketry have been organised during the year and are always fully booked. Regular monthly meetings have been well attended and have included films, talks and discussions.

In 1983 the main event will be the exhibition in September, again in the Bank of Ireland Exhibition Hall. It is timed to coincide with the European Crafts Conference to be held in Dublin at that time.

Craftsman in Wood Mallinsons, the hardwood specialists, who supply hardwoods to the building and furniture industries has a policy of fostering and encouraging good workmanship in timber.

They regularly commission craftsmen to produce special work for presentation to a selected number of customers and friends.

For 1982 the craftsman, selected in December, was Stephen McAuliffe, a native of Cork and a member of Cork Craftsmans Guild. For 45 years he has specialised in the restoration, repair and reproduction of antique furniture, working during that time in UK and USA as well as Ireland. He remains one of the few craftsmen in wood still making the 'Cork 11 Bar Chair' of mid 18th century origination. He works mainly in hardwoods using power tools to the minimum.

The piece chosen is a cigar box with the crests of the four provinces mounted on each side.

Handmade, the box is in selected Brazilian mahogany and is constructed by neatly cut 'bare face' tongue tenon, glued and cramped. The lid is inlaid in African boxwood to give the panel effect. The crests are good examples of marquetry in white sycamore and sapele mahogany veneers.

Roy Russell Workshop Ragharmonia In May, Roy Russell, the man who put together the Russell Dye System, came to Dublin along with his partner Wilma to give a dye workshop for the members of the Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Noirin Pye and her brother Lochlinn Kennedy kindly let us use their premises, the Weavers Shed, in Kilmainham for the occasion.

Sixteen members took part; Each participant did three different dye lots. We pooled our recipes and results so that each person took home yard in 48 different colours with recipes for each.

The Russell Dye System consists of a pack containing a bottle each of Red, Blue, Black and Yellow dyes with a separate measuring syringe for each. A bottle of levelling agent and a bottle of wetting agent is also included. Six plastic cups are supplied for mixing colours, glass rods for stirring and an instruction book with sample colours.

The idea is that weavers and embroiders who wish to make a wide range of colours can do so with minimum of expense and equipment. In addition to the kit all that's needed is the yarn and a saucepan.

The workshop ran very smoothly. Sixteen pots and camping stoves were used, with Roy Russell and Wilma always on hand in any difficulty.

The day was rounded off by Lochlinn Kennedy taking us on a guided tour of the old mill and we could see for ourselves the various processes involved.

Report by ANN O'KELLY Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.

Guild of

Gordon Douglas of 10 Glenageary Hill, Dun Laoghaire, who featured in the very successful RTE film 'Ragharmonia' would like to hear from parties/authorities interested in running workshops for children in the field of making and playing their own musical instruments. Gordon is presently part time music teacher at St. Killians Deutscheshule.

Many readers will have seen the film, shown on RTE 1 on 20th October last and will have been fascinated by the 'do it yourself orchestra and with the kits designed to enable children to make their own musical instruments. A limited number of kits and instruments are available for workshops. Gordon Douglas's telephone number is 01-801297 and he is as he said "available at most times except when in the middle of one of his Ragharmonious ceations".

Extension to An Grianan During September, the former, An Taoiseach, Mr. Charles J. Haughey, officially opened the new extension to An Grianan, the residential Adult Education College of the Irish Country­women's Association. The additional accommodation, comprising twenty-nine single bedrooms, four classrooms, and a kitchen/dining room complex, was financed by the Kellogg Foundation, who had already donated the existing building to the ICA in 1954.

Since its foundation, An Grianan, (The Sunny Place), has helped through its numerous courses to foster and develop many of the crafts in Ireland including basketry, crochet, Carrickmacross and Limerick lace, embroidery, jewellery, macrame rushwork, pottery weaving and woodcarving. Details of all courses in its current programme are available f rom: -The Director, An Grianan, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth. Telephone: (041) 22119.

Quotes "(the) tendancy to think about the market in either/or terms seems partly to come from a traditional reading of the history of craftsmanship in the last 150 years. According to this reading the process of industrialisation involved a sudden shift from workshop to factory . . . "

Crafts in the Market Place, Frayling and Snowdon,

CRAFTS Aug. '82.

"While the traditions exist you can respond to or react against them; when they don't it is very hard to find your way, and to decide which are the values that are important."

Herbert Spencer Royal College of Art.

Art, Craft and Design Fair This second fair organised by Siobhan Cuffe and her team was opened on December 7th by Professor Justin Keating, Chairman of the Crafts Council. The aim of the fair is to give artists, craftsmen and designers a chance to show and sell their work directly to the public in a pre-Christmas atmosphere.

This fair showed that the lessons learnt in the inaugural one last year were taken to heart and the whole organisation was much more sure and the layout and setting more cohesive.

While there was a tendency among craftsmen to sell their ordinary series production directly to the public rather than concentrating more on the one off, for which it would seem that a direct to the public fair was more suited, the crafts on exhibit were of a high standard and well presented. Many of the craftsmen are regulars at the National Crafts Trade Fair. It remains to be seen whether such an outing at a peak selling time, offering the same merchandise directly to the public as is in the hands of their retailers will have a dampening effect on the level of retail purchase at the Trade Fair.

It would be encouraging to see craftsmen regarding the two events as relating to different markets and therefore reserving different products for different levels of buyer, and of course a different price structure. This would be the case in relation to direct mail selling. Why not in relation to direct selling to the public.

Craftsmen included among the artists and designers were jewellery silversmiths Jane Murtagh, Mary Grey and Linda Uhlemann; batik artist Matt O'Connell; weavers Helena Ruuth, Jacqueline Corbiere, Gilly Carey and Frances Crowe; Cerama, Pam Rea, Maria Hannon, Joe and Anne Kane and Vicki Olverson, all ceramacists; leather worker Jacqui Foley; Ruth McDonnell, patchwork; glass blower Pascal Fitzpatrick and felt craftswoman Katie O'Dea.

Craft Auction A craft auction in October in aid of the Helping Hand charity organised by Fr. Brian D'Arcy, Bryan Kelly and the girls in the Sunday World, raised £3,000. The various items for auction were put up by the craftsmen in the Crafts Gallery and the Craftsmans Guild in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.

Workshops/Shops to Let Mrs. Madalene Jay of Mount Usher, Ashford, in Co. Wicklow, advises the Newsletter that there are five shop (or workshop) units available at Ashford on the main Dublin/Wicklow road at the Mount Usher Gardens public entrance. Each unit has its own entrance and lighting. One unit is approximately 270 sq. ft. and has a car park entrance, the other four are 600 sq. ft. and are entered from the Gardens. The rent would be £35 per week.

Mount Usher Gardens are open from March 17th - October 1st every day from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sunday 2 p.m. -6 p.m.) and in that period some 20,000 people visit the gardens.

Any craftsman interested in renting these units for the coming season should contact Mrs. Madelene Jay at Mount Usher, Ashford, Co. Wicklow. Ph: (0404) 4205 or 4138.

Parcel Post Service to the USA What is SAL? The Surface Air Lifted Parcel Post service is an accelerated surface parcel post service which lies between air mail and the ordinary surface parcel post. SAL parcels are conveyed by rail and road from the office of posting to Shannon Airport and onward to New York by air. Distribution and delivery within the United States is carried out by the United States Postal Service on their standard domestic parcel service.

Who may use SAL? Any exporter who can offer a minimum of 100 Kilograms per posting may use the service, providing such postings are made regularly.

Weight and Size The maximum dimensions are: Length 1.05 metres; length and girth combined 2 metres. The minimum dimensions are the same as for letters. The maximum weight is 10 kilogrammes.

General Information The usual regulations governing the Foreign Parcel post service must be complied with. Detailed information regarding such regulations may be obtained in the Post Office Guide Volume I I , which is available at Post Offices. Special attention is drawn to the packing and make-up of parcels, export and exchange controls, articles liable to customs duty, method of address,

Hands Craft shop in Dun Laoghaire have a small workshop/gallery area to let above their shop in Dun Laoghaire. This is a very central location with an opportunity to retail as well as work if the goods are suitable. There is no running water so the area would not be suitable for some crafts,

Applicants should have a high standard of workmanship and design and will be vetted by "Hands".

Please reply to: "HANDS" 25 Upper Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

For Sale Jewellers scratcn brush unit for sale. £100 ono. Please reply to Linda Uhlemann, 42 Cabinteely Avenue, Dublin 18.

prohibited articles and articles, and transmission of which is subject to restrictions.

A completed adhesive typed customs declaration form must be affixed to each parcel by the sender.

Parcels may be insured.

Postage rate for SAL First Kilogramme £3.50 each additional 500 grammes or part t he reo f . . . . £0.70

There is an additional charge for insurance.

Delivery Time 15-18 days. Approximately half the time taken to effect delivery of ordinary surface parcels.

Enquiries Additional information and/or applications to avail of the SAL Parcel Post service should be addressed to:

The Secretary, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Postal Planning and Development Branch, G.P.O., Dublin 1.

Telephone (01) 748888 extension 8396 or to your local Head Postmaster.

Dear Editor-From CraftsvilleIt occurred to us — emptying thewastepaper basket into the incinerator,the in tray into the wastepaper basketand the incoming post into the in tray —that there has to be a more direct routefor handling the paper work that arrivehere daily. We wondered if, through yourcolumns, we could discover othertechniques for coping with the problem.

We bave created the following groundrules: —

Throw away everything beginning"Gentlemen" if you are female and"friends" if you don't know the writer.Throw away everything offering to sellyou something which is not a basicrequirement of the workshop.

At most supply a price list "as requested"to all marketing offices, importers/exporters of Irish goods, shops openingwithin 6 weeks of date of letter, ladieswho might be starting interior designservices. Don't send photographs.

Harden your heart to little old ladies hereand there who want you to repairsomething left to them by a greataunt.

Burn immediately notification of coursescharging large sums for lunch, coffee anddocumentation on cash flow, stockcontrol, employment relations etc. Theseproblems are increased by your absencefrom the workshop and the drain on yourcash reserves. Grant aid on such coursesshould be recoverable on the same creditterms which you give your customersotherwise it is useless.

Make a strict quota of how manysponsorships, lectures etc. you areprepared to undertake each year. In theevent of too many requests andacknowledgement of receipt andstatement that the quota for the year isalready taken up is all that is required(the fundamental rule is to make a 'nilreturns' whenever possible).

Throw away all questionnaires more than5 pages long. Shorter questionnaires thatactually threathen penalties for non-return should be attacked. Try "what doyou mean by emoluments?" or "I haveringed categories 5 & 6 in the hope thatthis means 50/50." Where thequestionnaire is completely irrelevant wehave tried abuse. This is temporarilysatisfying but administratively dangerous.

We would like to hear of ways to wreckcomputers and are at present investigatingthe use of a broken pocket calculator thatcan only compute to the nearest million.

The 50% of our workforce at presentproductive has just switched off the 331/3% of our grant aided machinery to saythat all is not lost, the flow of lettersconcerning theses and projects on craftenterprises has just ceased. Was itsomething we did? Or did one of yourreaders blow up the Department ofEducation?

There must be a fund of experience notonly concerning paperwork, but alsophone calls, and workshop visitors whichcould be tapped and shared through yourcolumns. We hesitate to add recouping ofgrant aid to this list because: —a) there is no solution,b) the size of the newsletter is

insufficient to cope with thecorrespondence.

c) anyone having these problems hasn'tthe price of a stamp,

d) a merciful amnesia overtakes sufferersafterwards.

At this point we discover that — two

years later — we still don't have the priceof that stamp!

Yours sincerely,WALKING WASTEPAPERBASKET

Mary Jackson showing one of herhusband Michael's pots at the NationalCrafts Trade Fair.

Minister's Hopes for Crafts Council Resources"Crafts Council should have resourcesto ensure continuing growth of theindustry" says Minister.The Minister of State at the Departmentof Industry and Energy, Mr. EddieCollins TD, at the official opening of theSeventh National Crafts Trade Fair said,"this fair is a vital part of the effort toincrease awareness of the Irish craftindustry. It seems that the customerprofile has been slowly changing. It isno longer focused so specifically on thetourist market and is becoming more andmore oriented to the broad Irish market,and to the commercial export trade.Consequently the Irish craftworker isrelying more on ordinary commercialsales of his product on the home andexport market. There is then a greatneed for a co-ordinated and positiveprogramme to raise public consciousnessof the industry.

The Crafts Council will be host to theWorld Crafts Council European CraftsConference in September this year.Over 200 professional craft workersare expected to attend the experimentalworkshops in various disciplines whichwill take place around the country. Theseworkshops will be led by major figuresin the European crafts scene. There willbe opportunity for fruitful meetings withour own craftsmen on many occasionsduring the ten days of this event.

I am keenly aware of the contributionwhich the Craft industry can make to ourefforts to provide good quality, satisfyingand stable employment as well as market-able products of good design for homeand home consumption. I am anxiousthat the Crafts Council of Ireland shouldhave the resources to ensure thecontinuing growth of the industry. Withthis in mind, it is my intention to meetthe Council's Management Committeein the near future to discuss thedevelopment of the craft industry.

The Fair consists of 225 exhibitors in205 stands. In the region of 1,000 buyersfrom department stores, interiordecorators, architects, amongst others,have been invited. The Council, in co-operation with Coras Trachtala haveagain succeeded in bringing in overseasbuyers from the US, Canada, the UK,and a number of other Europeancountries.

Orders at the 1982 Fair showed asignificant increase over 1981 andamounted to £1.6 million, of whichover £600,000 were for export. I hopethat this growth will continue and thata figure of £2 million will be achieved

over the next few days.

Ireland now has a thriving craft sector,embracing crafts such as hand pottery,rural crafts, gold and silver work,jewellery and musical instruments. Atotal of 2,500 people are now employedfull-time in Irish craft production whichis worth in the region of £20 million peryear.

Along with the Crafts Council'spromotion of crafts the IDA andShannon Free Airport DevelopmentCompany have placed a special emphasison the development of this sector.

In 1981 the IDA grant-aided 82 craftprojects towards which £750,000 waspledged in grants on expected investmentof £1.5 million. The 1982 results areexpected to show that a similar level ofactivity took piace last year.

I am pleased also to see that the Kilworth

Mr. Eddie Collins, TD, Minister of State,Department of Industry and Energyopening the Seventh National CraftsTrade Fair and Professor Justin Keating,Chairman, Crafts Council.

Craft Training Workshop have a stand.Taking part in this Fair will be an in-valuable experience for the 8 participantsof the Workshops. We now have craftcentres at Marlay Park and PowerscourtTownhouse in Dublin, at Strokestown,Co, Roscommon and at Roundstone,Co. Galway and at Ballycaseymore,,Co. Clare which between them provideover 30 units for craft production.Further centres are also being developedat Pearse Street in Dublin, in Donegaltown and at the Shandon ButterExchanqe in Cork.''

Design in ScandinaviaA seminar on Arts and Crafts andIndustrial Design.

The Danish Architect-Designer Mr. JohnVedal-Rieper will be leading a travellingseminar through Finland, Sweden,Norway and Denmark, August 16-27,1983, arranged by Det danske Selskab(the Danish Institute) in cooperation withthe National Design Societies. Throughlectures and discussions the seminar willgive participants insight into the newideas and initiatives in ScandinavianDesign. Visits to workshops, exhibitions,showrooms, museums and factories willcover the various fields of handicraft,applied art and industrial design. Meetingswith Scandinavian craftsmen anddesigners will offer the opportunity forsurveying and comparative study ofapplied art and industrial design in theScandinavian countries.

Language of the seminar is English, and itis open to professionals, graduates andadvanced students engaged in the field.

Attendance at the 1982 seminar includedinterior designers, craftsmen, academicsand architects.

Cost of the seminar: Danish kroner6,500 — including accommodation,breakfast and one meal a day, and travelin Scandinavia by coach, ship and train.

Detailed programme is obtainable from:Det danske Selskab (The DanishInstitute) Kultorvet 2,DK-1175 Copenhagen K, Denmark.

Euro-Conference '83National Co-ordinatorMiss Marion McGowan of the IDA hasbeen nominated as National Coordinatorfor the World Crafts Council EuropeanConference taking place in September1983.

Miss McGowan's services will be given tothe Crafts Council of Ireland by the IDAfor a ten month period and she will workin close liaison with the Council, but willcontinue to be based at the IDA officesin Lr. Mount Street in Dublin whereextensive back up facilities in terms ofword processing, print room, press andinformation staff will be available as willthe availability of certain IDA regionaloffice services during the Conferenceperiod.

This cooperation from IDA underlinesthe importance that is being placed onthe European Conference and the degreeof creative activity and technicalexpertise which will centre around theconference and which will be of value tocraftsmen.

Kiltrea Bridge Potterywins I DA TrophyThe IDA Perpetual Trophy for the bestproduct at the National Crafts TradeFair was won by Kiltrea Bridge Pottery,their second prize of the week, andgenerally regarded as being very welldeserved. The award which wasannounced at the end of the three dayfair will be presented at a ceremony atthe IDA offices at a later date.

The Minister of State, Mr. Eddie Co/tinstalking with the Michael Roche of KiltreaBridge Pottery, winner of both CraftsCouncil and IDA awards at the NationalCrafts Trade Fair. On the right Mr. FrankSutton, Executive Officer of the CraftsCouncil.

NewsletterSubscriptionsFor the last two years the subscriptionhas been IRE2.00. The increasing costsof printing, typesetting, photography,postage, etc., make it necessary for usto increase the subscription.

From now on the annual pre paid chargefor the Newsletter will be IRE6.00.

Bi-MonthlyFrom now on the Newsletter will beproduced again on a regular bi-monthlybasis. Contributions in the form ofarticles, letters, photographs (blackand white) and comments will bewelcome at any time, particularly newsof forthcoming events though suchnotice must arrive at the Council'soffice not later than two months beforethe event to ensure that the informationis circulated in time.

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Small ads will be charged at the rateof 8p per word.