Clare’s crafty skills brought her back to her Mayo roots
By Tom Gillespie
CLARE Chambers always had a longing to return to her Irish roots. English-born, she loved visiting, as a child, her grandparents outside Newport.
As a youngster she hated leaving Ireland to go home to Harrow in London.
She told me: “We came back once or twice a year and when it came to two days before leaving my grandparents, Patrick and Nora Chambers, from Upper Skerradagh outside Newport, I hated leaving. It was just the place for me. I felt deeply connected to the place.
“My memories are of long roads from Knockbreague, where my father’s home was, going back to England, crying in the car.
“Though I lived my life, being born and raised in England, I never felt it was home. I always felt here was home.
“I had always said I would move here and so the time came to make some new decisions in life - not to be such a stressed out work donkey.”
Clare continued: “I came here to look at a house which was, unfortunately, sold while I was flying here. But I went down to the beach in Mulranny and there was a sign up for a house for sale that we could not see as it was so overgrown. It was a wreck, holes in the ceiling and floor. but I took one look and I thought it's the one.
“So it has been four or five years of doing the house up and learning how to do bits and pieces and becoming part of the community.”
Clare, who has always been involved in crafting, added: “I have always made items for friends and family. I am very picky. I am probably too hard on myself but I won’t let anything go out that is not perfect.
“When I came back here and was working part-time in the Mulranny Park Hotel, I needed something to do now that the house was getting there and to keep me going in the winter and to keep me active.
“Crafting I call my vitamin C as it is good for you mentally and emotionally but it drives you mad some days too.
“I made a few bits last winter. I bought a little laser. I just made a few personalised slate coasters for friends and family and they went down well and someone asked me to make some for them and it has grown very slowly from there.
“Last Easter I put a few eggcups on Facebook and they went down a storm. I knew the tiny laser was going to pack up so I had to get a bigger one, which was an investment in the future.
“It brought me closer to the community in Mulranny because I was meeting lots of people that you would not normally meet and it allowed me to do something for the community.
“I always think there is no point standing there waiting for the community to come to you, you have to go out and find them, otherwise you will be a blow-in for the rest of your life.”
Clare has received assistance from Mayo County Enterprise Board who, she said, have been fantastic with their expertise.
As well at the slate coasters Clare also makes slate cheese boards, house signs, pet memorials, slate hearts and personalised pizza plates, which are very popular.
Her prices are very reasonable - the individual slate coasters cost €7.50 each, a big pizza platter €30 and she has nothing dearer than €50.
She continued: “I have no sights set on being global or national. But I would like to expand my range. St. Patrick’s Day is the next big thing on the calendar and I have plans for new gift items this Easter.
“I have crafted for many years. Sewing handmade quilts and gifts, paper-crafting, creating resin sculptures and laser engraving, to name but a few of the areas I enjoy. Friends and family have always encouraged me to sell my items and now, finally, I have taken their advice. I particularly love making things for my three wonderful grandchildren and members of the family.
“Being a crafter is so very different to being an 'artist'. Natural artistic talent is a rare find. Crafting, however, is all about using imagination to combine one or more media and a touch of skill into something new. Hopefully, something people love to receive and to gift.
“I ensure every single item is made to the client’s personal requirements and, because I am a one woman business, my reputation is everything. So do feel free to contact me with any enquiry. My prices are reasonable, the quality is exceptional.”
Clare gave me some of her background, adding: “I have always been crafty. My background is working in schools. I started off as a dinner lady years ago when my children were young and then became a teacher’s aide in England.
“One of the best jobs of my life was working with a student with Downs Syndrome. You had to get a few things together each day to make the learning process better.”
She added: “Making things look nice for the children was always one of my goals because if you have a lovely environment for children they will feel more relaxed and they will be able to create as well.”
Clare can be contacted on madeinmulranny@gmail.com or call (083) 0917468.