A COUPLE who create unique pieces of art which celebrate the Irish language have attracted a global fanbase.
Heather Gilroy and Peter O’Neill launched Prints of Ireland in 2020.
The couple, who hail from Skerries in north Dublin, are seasoned travellers who collected modern artworks from every country they visited over the years.
It was while at home in Dublin that they realised they couldn’t find similar pieces in their hometown and decided to do something about it.
Heather Gilroy and Peter O’Neill launched Prints of Ireland in 2020“Together, Peter and I have travelled across all four corners of the globe, and have always loved to pick up local pieces of art when abroad to remind us of our many adventures,” Rachel tells the Irish Post.
“However, there was always one thing missing from our gallery wall, modern artwork of our own beautiful hometown of Skerries in north county Dublin,” she explains.
“This is where the idea for Prints of Ireland was born. We couldn’t find a piece of local art to sit alongside our prints from around the world, so we created our own.
Prints of Ireland celebrates the Irish language“We create uniquely Irish art prints, greeting cards, tote bags, calendars and more.”
Since then, their unique Irish print work has proved a popular option with members of the diaspora across the globe.
“Our products are very often sent as Christmas gifts to the Irish abroad, so they might go to the US, the Middle East and Australia,” Gilroy told the Irish Post.
“Particularly our calendar and tote bags,” she adds.
“They are the perfect gift to send to loved ones who are missing home.”
The product range has proved popular with clients across the globeEvery piece in the Prints of Ireland range features the Gaelic language too, which is an important part of their company ethos.
“Each and every one of our products features the Irish language as we want to celebrate and promote our native language in a way that is fun, colourful and modern,” Rachel explains.
“Our products are inspired by Irish culture, landscape and nostalgia,” she adds.
“I attended a Gaelscoil and have a huge passion for Gaeilge and we create products that are accessible to all levels of Irish speakers because we want to promote the Irish language in a modern way through our products.”
Prints of Ireland products are often sent as gifts within the Irish diasporaThe products are entirely Irish-made too, Gilroy adds.
“It’s very important to us that our products are 100 per cent designed and made in Ireland.
“All of our products are designed by Heather from our beautiful studio in Ardgillan Castle, north county Dublin,” she explains.
“We use little to no plastic packaging, we use carbon balanced paper, compostable inks and recycled envelopes.”
The range is available online, from where it ships across the globe, and is stocked in more than 40 stores across the island of Ireland, including Arnotts in Dublin, Carroll’s Irish Gifts in Belfast and the Visit Derry Gift Shop.