Where to go for that special present

Craft fairs are great places to find unusual gifts. Sylvia Thompson reports on some of the things you can expect to be tempted by.

Christmas craft fairs, particularly the big ones in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, are a great chance to see a wide range of Irish ceramics, jewellery, glassware, clothing, leather goods, furniture, toys and food. For the craftmakers and designers who show and sell their work at the fairs it is an opportunity to meet customers, some of whom go on to visit them in their studios and workshops throughout the country in the brighter, sunnier months of the year.

The National Craft Fair, which is at the RDS until Sunday, is the biggest and busiest of them all. With about 450 stalls spread around the Dublin venue's main hall, including its balcony and side halls, it is an exciting (if exhausting) part of Christmas for anyone keen to find special gifts that are unavailable in department stores or shopping centres.

A lot of the stalls are tended by the designers or makers, many of whom welcome feedback. Some county enterprise boards also represent craft from their areas, but arguably the most impressive stand this year is that of the Crafts Council of Ireland. With exhibits from 48 craftsmen and -women, it is the result of an open-submission competition for everyone registered with the council, in an effort to showcase Irish crafts.

The selection includes beautiful Chinese glazed ceramic vessels by Robert Lee and eye-catching indoor and outdoor wooden seats by the Cork-based Swiss man Thomas Kay, who is part of West Cork Craft Design Guild. There are also some wonderfully wacky teapots, large topiary-style animals made from twigs or wire, stylish candles and hand-woven baskets of all sizes.

Pottery, ceramics and glassware

These are the areas that are synonymous with Irish craft, and there is a wide selection on show at the fair. You'll find everything from small ceramic nameplates and stained-glass pictures to large glass lamp stands filled with shells or marbles; bowls, jugs and mugs to mosaic-framed mirrors and slate clocks.

Rosemarie Durr, a potter, has a particularly fine range of powder-blue wine goblets, dishes, jugs and mugs. This is her third year at the fair, which she says is always good publicity. "I find a lot of people who buy from me here then come to visit me in my workshop, in the craft village in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny."

Durr believes the pottery market has changed. "The market got swamped at the end of the 1990s, up until 2002, with some less professional work out there. I think it is now regressing, with people working more on design. My tableware is thrown quite finely and is more reminiscent of china than country kitchenware," she says.

Joe and Anne Kane from Falcarragh, in Co Donegal, have been exhibiting their ceramic sculptured wall pieces since the craft fair first started, at the Mansion House in Dublin in 1979. They also took part in the Belfast craft fair last weekend.

"The Belfast show is good preparation for this show. We earn a few bob and get into the frame of mind for meeting customers here," says Joe. In terms of how things have changed over the years, he adds: "I think a lot of the work on sale now is more design led than it was 20 years ago."

Leather, jewellery and clothes

Leather purses, bags, belts and key rings, not to mention jewellery - both one-off pieces from designers such as Alan Ardiff and Erica Marks and more frivolous costume necklaces, rings, brooches and bracelets - are popular Christmas-present choices at the craft fair. Fabric bags, scarves and hats are other options; jumpers, cardigans, organic-tweed suits, raw-cotton tops, velvet coats and fleeces may be more suitable as presents to yourself.

This is the sixth year Mary and Sean Kelleher of Keltic Leather Crafts, in Ballingeary, Co Cork, are exhibiting at the fair. They will also be at Showcase, the annual wholesale exhibition, in January and at two shows in the US, in Chicago and New Jersey, later next year. "It's a lot of hard work, but we get great feedback from customers at this fair. We also encourage people to come visit us in our workshop if they are on holidays in west Cork. We notice the floral hand-painted prints on the leather are more popular in Ireland, whereas the Celtic designs are more popular in the United States," says Mary Kelleher, who will also exhibit at City Hall Craft Fair in Cork next weekend. "Our sales are better in Dublin, but the Cork fair is a shopfront for us. It's a great way of advertising. We wouldn't miss either show for anything. It's a social event too, as we get to know other craftspeople from around the country."

Furniture and homeware

There isn't a huge amount of large furniture at the Christmas fair, as many designers and makers opt for trade-only fairs. That said, if it's a mirror you're after there's plenty of choice, particularly if you'd like one with an irregular wooden frame. There are also a fair number of wooden bowls, rugs and lamps.

One of the most eye-catching homeware stands is for Nostalgia Designs. Teresa Kavanagh from Churchtown in Dublin is the designer of its fantastic retro-style lamps with wooden and metal stands and floral, abstract and plain shades.

"I've been coming to the fair for seven years now. It's a great place for me to do my market research and find out what people like. I started making lamps a number of years ago as I didn't see anything I liked in the shops when I was doing my own house up," she explains. Nostalgia Designs also does a fun range of fabric bags and cushions.

Food

No Christmas craft fair is complete without food stalls, and artisan food is the largest growth area at this year's fairs, according to Patrick O'Sullivan, who organises the Cork and Dublin events. "We're trying to offer food you can't get in the supermarket, as well as speciality foods for Christmas," he says. So you'll find olives galore, gourmet dips, handmade chocolates, all kinds of breads, mince pies, chocolate waffles, jams and conserves.

One of the most appealing food stands is that mounted by Twine Inc and the Organic Herb Company. Run by Michael Martin and Paul Pritchard, it includes spices and herbs that are sourced all over the world and blended with cold-pressed oils at their base, in Wicklow.

"The great thing about fairs is that we can introduce people to the spices and seeds and explain how to use them in cooking," says Pritchard. "We do a lot of food fairs - including the Fancy Food Show in New York with An Bord Bia last year - and it's our seventh year at this one."

Pritchard believes the biggest hit this year will be their roasted-seed mix, which is pumpkin seeds, linseed, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds roasted in soy sauce.

"It's great in salads and stir fries and suitable for vegans, diabetics and coeliacs," he explains. It's also a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6, those essential fatty acids that keep our brains ticking over.

Toys and things for children

Toys don't feature prominently, but what's there is certainly a far cry from the batteries-not-included offerings in mainstream toy stores. There are cloth dolls, dough dolls and teddy bears, crafted puppets, soft fabric mobiles, fabric calendars, children's cushions, height charts and lots of colourful fleeces. There are also rocking horses, one of those enduring Christmas presents that often become part of the household furniture for generations to come.

Willie O'Donovan from Union Hall Crafts, in Co Cork, has been bringing his rocking horses, doll's cots, toy boxes, ring boards, desks and chairs to the RDS craft fair since it started, seven years ago.

"The rocking horses are great sellers. There are made so the child can get on and off themselves, without a parent's help. They are close to the ground and have a nice gentle rocking motion," he says.

The National Craft Fair, at the RDS, Dublin, continues today until 10 p.m. and tomorrow and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is €8 (under-16s free). City Hall Crafts Fair is in Cork on December 16th and 17th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on December 18th and 19th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is €6 (under-16s free)