Originally from Dublin and now living in rural Herefordshire I have been a basketmaker since the early 1990’s, learning my craft mostly in the West of Ireland, but also from expert basketmakers in England and France. I started out in Textiles, spending a year at the London College of Furniture on a Constructed Textiles course. It was this course that gave me a passion for making and eventually led me in the direction of willow weaving. Texture is very important in my work. I am inspired by rugged nature, rocks and trees, but also by the way nature renders even ugly things beautiful. I prefer to work with ‘unstripped’ willow with its variety of texture and colour and grow a lot of my own willow. Texture is equally important in my textiles, which are mostly inspired by the landscapes of the West of Ireland and the Isles of Scilly