Cois Laoi Willow

Hello! My name is Aelís and together with my husband Jurgen, I am a founder and weaver at Cois Laoi Willow. Our willow farm is located in the heart of the Gaeltacht in Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh (Ballingeary). Our willow is grown on the banks of the River Lee which runs along the bottom of our farm.  We specialise in basketry: a heritage craft, and do all our planting, harvesting and weaving by hand, and has been passed down to us by my family, as has been done for thousands of years. While basket weaving is not as widespread as it once was, we are seeing a resurgence in the interest of using native materials sustainably, and people being interested in adding quality and mindfully selected pieces to their home.