Intricately crafted wooden rugby balls, rocking horses and horseshoe wine bottle-holders will be among the exhibits on display at this weekend's 12th annual Castleconnell Craft Fair on the banks of the River Shannon.
The 10 rugby balls were entered into a competition for wood turners and will be auctioned for charity on Sunday, November 4th. Mr Peter O'Connor, chairman of the organising committee and a cabinet-maker instructor, said rugby balls were picked as a theme because of the success of the Munster rugby team, although they have added resonance following Ireland's win against England last week.
"It has been very successful. We have ended up with a number of good quality balls. Hopefully next year we might run a competition that would take in a couple of disciplines."
The annual fair, one of the biggest in the State, is aimed at the public rather than traders and this year's 44 stands will have examples of pottery, ceramics, candle-making, glassware, jewellery and, of course, rocking horses, which are made by Mr O'Connor. A prize fund of £1,100 was available for the woodturning competition, won by Ms Louise Madden, from Clonlara, Co Clare.
She won £400 for her rugby ball, made from elm, sycamore and beech, and described as flawless from a woodturner's point of view by the president of the Irish Woodturning Guild, Mr Emmet Keane. Second prize was won by Mr John T. Ryan, from Ardnacrusha, and third by Mr Damase Moran, from Nenagh. The £200 prize for the most colourful entry was won by Mr Pat Lambert, from Rathfarnham, Dublin.