Mermaids from the Skellig Michael
Abi Dillon’s sea glass studio in Dingle is known for it’s hand-crafted jewelry, its commitment to educating shoppers about the problem of plastic pollution and for having a heart. You see she uses the shop for her own art, but she also showcases other artists in the area. And felted mermaids are a part of that.
Each one in its own shades of the sea.
“Katherine Merrigan is a tour guide on the Skellig Michael. (An island you may have seen in the latest Star Wars movie.) She works there a week on the Skellig and then a week off through the season. When she is on the island she always takes her felting materials and makes these mermaids while she’s there,” Dillon says.
And when you look around the shop you see other artists work, including hand made craft paper, made from the rushes in the local fields.
“The rushes are cut up and mashed and boiled and then dried on a rack. It’s a very traditional way of making paper, and people who craft love it.”
And she has weavings from the Camphill community in the area.
“The Camphill communities around the country are for people with special needs. The different communities specialize in different things. The one here in Dingle is for weavers. They make tapestries and lovely rugs and carpets. They are beautiful.”
Everything in her shop is beautiful inside and out. You can feel her commitment to her art, the planet and her community all around you.
You can learn more about the Camp[hill Communities here: https://www.camphill.ie/
You can hear Abi Dillon talk about her Seat Glass Studio in Episode 29 of Erin’s Isle:
You will find the Sea Glass Studio of Dingle here: https://www.abidillon.com/
You can learn about Skellig Michael: https://skelligislands.com/
