University of Limerick Craft Day. — Cailleach's Cottage

Susi’s amazing recycled copper jewellery she makes with the students.

For many years I have been invited to join a group of local heritage craft workers here in County Clare, working with students from The University of Limerick. These particular students are studying to become Occupational Therapists, and our ‘Traditional Crafts Day’ is a major part of both their experience and training for the year ahead. Each one already has a Degree in another related subject, and this year long course has been developed over the past 20 years to help them deal with the very unique and varied situations they may well find themselves facing in the future. So, in September each year, after their first week at University, they are literally taken out of their comfort zones, and travel up to East Clare where I live (not that far away from places like The Burren and The Cliffs of Moher). We are on the wild west coast of Eire, just south from Galway Bay. This is very rural, compared to Limerick which for Ireland is quite a major, urban city.

We began many years ago, working with them in an ancient woodland, under tents despite our wonderfully unpredictable Irish weather. They had to use very basic compost toilets with tea brewed over an open camp fire. There were always horses and donkeys wandering free; which often made a bee line for my straw! That was until the day the owner of the woods decided to introduce Wild Boars, so we had to find a new venue!

One of the students posing as a Straw Boy, with a very amused pony!

We now use the wonderfully wooded grounds of the local Steiner School and Alpha Project nearby, which is a lot more civilised for us all; but still allows us to take them all outside and face to face with wildlife and the weather. We had 29 students this year, who have to make their own way here (as there is hardly any public transport system out here in the wild west; so that alone can be a real challenge before they even arrive!).

Mark has them recycling old caravans into amazing things like this brilliant dustpan with its own brush.

They also do not know one another at this stage, so are in effect 29 strangers who have to work together in an unfamiliar environment for a whole day (which by the way, is always at the weekend). The discomfort does not stop there, as they cannot even choose what craft they want to do, or who they are working alongside either. They are randomly assigned a tutor and a craft and told to write a full and very personal report about it all next week!

Martijn teaching students to carve a wooden spoon from apiece of willow.

My collection of straw items from all over the world; to show how universal this craft actually is.

The tutors are as varied as the crafts they teach. Mark is a Blacksmith and an artist, who often recycles metal to teach them tin smithing. Susie is a silver smith, who also uses recycled copper. Martijn is a wood carver who gives them each a lump of willow and teaches them to carve their own spoon! Geraldine is a weaver and spinner, showing them how to create a small wooden loom piece. I teach basic straw crafting, explaining traditional techniques that would have been used in Ireland, as well discussing the associated folklore.

Geraldine’s wonderful work with her students that day using small wooden hand looms!

We have them for a full day, and I always try to discuss how each technique or plait might be useful to a particular situation they may encounter in the future. From clients with Autism, or someone who just needs to improve there motor skills. We talk about how to present each plait to a child, or an adult. Or to a deaf, or nonverbal client, or someone that speaks a different language. We also discuss how they might best over come other disabilities and medical problems. I often learn far more from them by the end of the day, as they all vary in abilities and experience as well. So, I always hope during the day that we will become mutually symbiotic, by teaching one another. It is definitely my favourite event of the year and never the same experience twice.

My collection of straw items, mainly from Ireland.

This year I chose a Christmas theme for the straw, as it seemed an interesting way to get them to learn, with the added reward of something different to hang on their tree come December! Otherwise, I wonder if they can easily see its potential uses as a skill in their future Occupational Therapy tool box. I explained the history and folklore as usual, but also what techniques that they could use and combine in interesting and innovate ways, to create something a client might enjoy making and get the most benefit from.

A Compass plait combined with a Hair Plait, ready for the tree!

We explored the simple Compass Plait and Hair Plait, as a way to get used to the straw, and then I encouraged them to play with them both and see how they could imaginatively combine these two simple plaits. As many of them will be working with children, or people with special needs, we discussed the need for play, both as a way to encourage people to be more creative, or to express themselves.

Straw Heart to hang on the Christmas Tree.

Also, we talked about how unfortunate it was that so few adult felt confident enough to actually play as they get older. Modern society seems to favour competition and results focused achievements over imagination and creative play; which I feel is very sad. I taught in schools here for 23 years and young children are natural creators. They are not obsessed with everything they make being perfect, or the best! My husband teaches art and experiences the same.

A delightful combination of several plaits we explored during the day, created by one of the students.

So, I encouraged them to play, and think outside the box; not worrying if what they made looked perfect, or professional. It was wonderful to see what they then created as they started to be more playful with the corn; exploring what they could and could not do with this new medium. I think we all need to be given permission to play and explore some times, or what we create may become far too rigid and prescriptive, rather than a true expression of ourselves!

Another wonderful experiment with the straw!

I also showed them the two plait, and the fill-a-gap 4 plait. Looking at my display of corn items from all over the world, they asked me about the 5-plait? I was not expecting them to do this, but they had a go at a closed 5-plait, and also increasing and decreasing this plait. They all found it far harder than it looked; but carried on none the less! We were also sitting in a large Geo-dome, which was rapidly becoming unnaturally warm for Ireland!

Another Angel and a small Spiral Drop Dolly with a blue ribbon for Autism Awareness.

They all made the best of this and we finished as I had planned, by making a very simple angel. I had prepared masses of straw for the day, yet the five plait and the exploration meant we had to cut back on the Angels straws; so everyone had enough to create one to take home. However we were only looking at techniques, and they each left with a set of instructions as well, for the future. Although the angels looked a little thin, they definitely got the idea and said they wanted to experiment with other materials as well, as heritage straw is not that easy to locate over here now, thanks to Brexit!

All my students went home with handfuls of straw items, unlike all the other groups that only had one item by the end of the day. However, everyone was happily showing one another their treasures and they left with wide smiles. Also hopefully with more experience and lots of new friends in their class now as well.

For me, it is wonderful to see young people going on to not only keep some of these old crafts alive into the future but more importantly, putting them to a very practical and positive use in their own careers!

Melanie Lorien )0(. (www.cailleachscottage.com