Ella McSweeney's posts

“The cold gleam of silver wasn’t just irresistible to the people of the Viking Age, but to generations of the Irish ever since”.

So said the late UCD historian Francoise Henry who recognised that if there’s one metal that’s strongly associated with the Irish, it’s silver. From early Christian church chalices, to 18th century forks, to contemporary earrings and necklaces - the use of silver by craftsmen and women in Ireland has a long history.

But it has been difficult to keep the craft of silversmithing alive. It’s thought there are about 12 silversmiths left in the country. Ella McSweeney has visited two of them and she joined Richard this morning.

To the uninitiated, it’s simply a floury white bun - the kind of bread you’d pick up in a bakery without a second thought.

But for those in the know - and that’s all of you listening down in Waterford, for a start! - the Waterford Blaa is much more, because it’s through this saucer-shaped bap that 300 years of history of The Deise can be told...

Today, three bakeries in Waterford are making 12,000 blaas each morning - Walsh’s, Hickeys and Harneys and Ella McSweeney has visited one of them to find out more about this white doughy yeast roll.

Take soda, lime, silica, aluminum oxide and a few other substances, pour into a furnace at 1680 degrees Celsius and you’ve got yourself one of the most common materials around - glass.

When it comes to craft, glass has got Ireland on the world stage. Back in the 1700s, the Penrose brothers set up the Waterford Glass House; soon ships were exporting crystal throughout Europe and beyond. In 1901, An Túr Gloine ‘The Tower of Glass’ cooperative studio was set up, putting Ireland on the map as one of the best countries in the world for stained glass artistry.

No surprise, then, that the tradition of working with glass continues in Ireland...

It wasn’t too long ago when you could buy a blanket, scarf or jumper that was made from wool off an Irish sheep.

Not any more. Today, nearly all of the wool used in these products comes from abroad - mainly Merino wool from New Zealand.

But there is a small resurgence of interest in “Made in Ireland” wool, and Ella McSweeney has been to counties Donegal and Down to meet farmers and producers who are seeing the value of Irish wool once again.

Throw a few pieces of wood into the fire and you’ve got yourself a nice bit of heat. But do the same thing & restrict the airflow, and you’ve got yourself rocket-fuel - a substance that can heat to nearly 3,000 degrees Celsius, enough to melt iron.

Many of us know charcoal as the smokeless black fuel we use for our summer BBQ’s, but from 5,000 years ago until the 18th Century, charcoal was the fuel that played a vital role in the economy - and everyday lives - of people who lived not only in Ireland, but throughout the world. Put simply, charcoal was the oil or gas of its day.

Well charcoal has been made in Ireland for thousands of years and today, the practice of turning freshly cut wood into charcoal is having something of a comeback.

Ella McSweeney has been to Laois & Westmeath to hear from people who are passionate about charcoal.

There was a time in this country - not long ago - when raw animal hides were transformed into leather. The skins of cows, sheep and even goats were sold by meat factories to local tanneries where the labour-intensive job of turning skin into leather took place.

Not any more. Leather is no longer made in Ireland because all the tanneries have closed down. Like so much in manufacturing, tanning has moved eastwards to China where it can be made for less money.

In her continuing look at goods that are “Made in Ireland”, Ella McSweeney joined Pat on RTE Radio 1 this morning to take a look at Ireland last tannery, and the future for leatherwork in this country.

86 year old Eamon Madden, master blacksmith from Athenry, tells Ella McSweeney about life as a blacksmith. Ella also meets two other people who work with metal - one from Dublin, the other from Clare.

There's been something of a rejuvenation in hop growing in Ireland. While the last commercial hop grower, Simon Mosse in Kilkenny, tells Ella McSweeney why he stopped supplying Guinness a decade ago, Cuilan Loughnane of Tipperary explains why he started his own hop crop for his microbrewery, White Gypsy.