Stone mad idea showcased at RDS
LIAM Donoghue from Kilfian outside Killala and Martin Barrett from Cork are stone mad. And they have the business to prove it.
The results of their labour have been on show this week at Showcase Ireland at the RDS in Dublin, writes Tom Gillespie.
Their company, MYSTONES, originated within view of the famous Blarney Stone and this is where work began.
Liam explained: “We wanted to create a true keepsake for all those who travelled so far to experience our little island.
“We wanted people to take away with them a little piece of here, but with our special touch. We just didn’t know what that special touch was yet.
“In our search we stumbled upon a new method of engraving stone. The immense heat of the laser beam melts the surface of the stone and beautiful, dark crystals form on the surface.
“This is something that you probably have not seen before. We certainly hadn’t.
“We don’t engrave into the stone and take away. We add to the stone. We add sparkle!
“Our inspiration comes from everywhere and anywhere but usually starts at our love of our Celtic roots, the natural world and being human. We always want to have a bit of craic along the way too so we feel MYSTONES recreates all of this.
“We are proud to be Irish, and we are proud to be carrying on the ancient Irish tradition of using stone as a symbol of the spirit, of hope and of fun.”
At the moment they are using only Cork stone but Liam wants to include Mayo stone in their products.
He explained: “Because I am from Mayo I hope we can get our product in local stone and hopefully have it on sale at Ireland West Airport Knock.”
“Our Heritage Collection is inspired by Ireland, our culture, people and places. It is hugely popular in the tourist sector here in Ireland. There is more demand for authentic Irish made products now amongst our international visitors, which is fantastic. The RRP of our Heritage Collection is €5 which means that we, as a manufacturer of Irish made gifts, can be competitive in a market crowded with imports.
‘We are launching our new Something Beautiful Collection at Showcase, which is a mainstream giftset collection. We have a beautiful selection of icons, symbols and messages, complete with a colourful gift bag, wooden display stand and beautifully designed packaging.
“We currently are stocked in outlets in the US and we hope to build upon this success with our new giftset ranges.
“Our stone is green slate from Cork but we are looking out to see what other stone types we can use. Hopefully we will have a Mayo stone soon.”
Liam continued: “We’ve created fun, serious and memorable Irish stone products.
“We’re also full of blarney because that’s were our story began - within view of the world famous Blarney Stone.
“We are very competitively priced as well, and that’s not the blarney talking. The price range is from €5 to €8.”
He added: “Working with Irish materials and Irish craftsmen we have created a new and beautiful way of bringing life to ancient stone.
“Modern laser engraving techniques have been developed to work with the natural minerals in the stone. The result is a stone encrusted with natural crystal that just loves the light.”
Liam and Martin can be contacted on (086) 2483735 or email martin@mystones.ie.