A young Co. Mayo craftsman is carrying on a tradition of basketmaking, started by his grandfather, Davey Delaney.
Thomas Delaney of Ould Crafty lives at Mayo Abbey, Co. Mayo, on 42ac, which is farmed by his cousin, with a mix of dry stock and sheep.
He makes mainly traditional style baskets from locally sourced willow, focusing on making them as durable as possible.
“Initially I got the interest in basketmaking from my father and grandfather. My grandfather made working baskets out of necessity. Dad always kept an interest in it, but he wasn’t a basketmaker himself.
“From him, I always had an interest in basketmaking and attempted some weaving as a young lad. There is a lot of willow in the hedgerows where I’m from.
“Around 2018, I started researching into this way of life, but I was living in Germany at the time,” said Thomas.
“As soon as Covid hit, I came home and I got enough wiggle room to give it a try and I really liked it. I’ve made many mistakes along the way and I am constantly learning and trying new things with willow. I’m very thankful for everything so far and I am in my third year of business,” he said.
Thomas makes 20 different types of baskets, as well as bird feeders, plant supports and more. He also makes boats and willow houses.
“I’m going to be involved in making a boat on heritage day in Ballina this year on July 10. The plan is to make a river going vessel known as a ‘coracle’ on heritage day and row it down the Moy that evening,” Thomas added.
Some pieces, he said, like turf baskets might take a day to make, others half a day.
“In most cases, I would have the base pre-made so I can make more than one in a day,” he said.
There’s a lot of sorting through rods with the job and being smart with the materials. The willow I’ve planted is growing very big, so it’s perfect for larger projects like fencing, tunnels, domes, turf baskets and creels.
“I sell my products a number of different ways to be honest, markets, social media, and I have a website. I sell to a wide range of people from all over the world,” he added.
Thomas has noticed a large number of people interested in learning basketmaking and wanting to try it out.
“I have started to teach and its been going really well. I’m enjoying teaching the ICA guilds; men’s sheds; Macra na Feirme; Flourish; women’s sheds; corporate team bonding; schools, and I teach my own private classes as well.
“I believe its instinctual to us as Irish people to have an interest in basketmaking, given our history with the craft,” said Thomas.
He is happy to take the work one step at a time.
“I definitely want to do more living willow projects like tunnels and domes, that’s for sure. I have a good example of these in the sensory garden in Balla that is open to the public.
“I really think we have the ability to build large living structures out of willow in Ireland. It’s all about getting the plant to work for you and fuse together. One day I hope to build a living willow bridge,” he said.