Our Blog

Published on October 14, 2022

I’m Michelle from Made by Michelle and I make hand-crafted jewellery, charms and decorations. I joined ShopInIreland in February 2021. I was a brand-new start up, a one-woman business and it offered me a way to show and sell my pieces. I loved the idea that all of the items on sale were made in Ireland and made locally. Help was always on hand if there was something you didn't know. I liked the fact that it had a feeling of a community and that's why I became a Shop in Ireland Ambassador. My most popular pieces are Huichol butterfly earrings, kite-shaped pendants and earrings. Going forward, I plan to continue to make affordable fashion jewellery in beautiful colours and include my Reiki and Seichem in a possible new range.

Published on October 03, 2022

We’re Robert and Berilyn Teeling from Rob Bee Art. We create and sell upcycled framed tin art. The idea of tin art started as Robert, was using scrap tin for art projects, and his first creation was the bees, hence the name Rob Bee Art.  We joined ShopInIreland.ie in November 2020 and we want to encourage people to shop local and support small Irish businesses. We create a range of products and also undertake commissions to create one-off personalised items, are also very popular. Going forward we want to increase the awareness of our product and show how the products we create are a great way to recycle waste. ShopInIreland is a great way to connect not only Irish customers, but customers worldwide, with small Irish businesses. Products are of very high standards and it’s a great shopping platform. ShopInIreland has given us an opportunity to really increase our reach and get our products out to a wider audience.

Published on September 29, 2022

I’m Nichola Culleton and my business is Nichola Culleton Millinery. I joined the original Facebook group and thought it was a brilliant idea and I got some good sales. Mine was a new business and it was a great chance to bring my products to the Irish public. I joined the ShopInIreland.ie website as soon it began. Most of my products are one of a kind. In winter my felt hats are more popular, in summer it’s headpieces and fascinators. Going forward I plan to continue to sell on Shop in Ireland and to increase the number of sales by expanding my beautiful range of hats and by putting more time and effort in my social media. I absolutely love the concept of buying directly from Irish businesses. I have bought a number of different items from the site including art, balms, fairy houses, books and more and have been delighted with every single purchase. I’ve had great service, and fantastic quality items and they’ve all been great value for money. It has given me an outlet to sell my creations. It allows me to promote my products and all my sales have given me the confidence and the finances to keep creating and improving my skills. It has also made shopping for gifts for others so much easier.

Published on September 23, 2022

I’m Aurore Soleillant and my shop is Artnsol Creations. I sell knitted and crochet items, dreamcatchers and jewellery. My biggest sellers are octopus teddies, baby cardigan sets, celebrity dolls, pet teddies and Christmas and Halloween earrings. I’ve been with ShopInIreland from the beginning. I really liked the idea of supporting local businesses and showing my creations to a bigger audience. It’s really helped to get my business out there more and be able to make a living from my work. ShopInIreland is such a lovely community of crafters and little Irish businesses where you can find unique items and there is something for everyone. I’d never sold anything online before as I couldn't get the reach with my own Facebook and Instagram accounts. I went from barely selling one thing every month or every other month to now being quite busy from shopinireland and it pushed me to do more markets as I saw the support I got on the Facebook page.

Published on September 22, 2022

I’m Helen from Rosie Bags Accessories. I create handcrafted bags, ceramics, knitwear and jewellery. I’ve been on ShopInIreland for a year and I believe it has huge potential and I want to be part of it as it grows. It is a great site to sell all handcrafted products and it has taught me to sell all my handcrafts in confidence. In the future, I plan to expand my range of products and learn how to promote my business more.

Published on September 16, 2022

I’m Jo from Pretty Cute Knits. I sell knit and crochet clothing for babies and children. I joined ShopInIreland in 2021. The site is easy to use, the process is smooth and the vendors are talented! It has helped me to reach a wider audience, upskill and learn about marketing and promotion. I really like the community and the support from the team has been amazing. My best-selling products are baby blankets, hats and cardigans and going forward I’d like to grow my business and reach more customers and develop modern and unique baby and children’s wear.

Published on September 12, 2022

I’m Sharon Williams from Airy Fairy Designs and I make handcrafted vintage-inspired handbags with handsewn floral Appliques. I joined ShopInIreland in November 2020 and it’s a wonderful platform for my creations and really supports Irish artists and crafters. ShopInIreland is a wonderful platform for my business and has got me sales that I would never have got without it. It takes care of looking after the financial side without the seller having to deal with it personally.

Published on September 09, 2022

I’m Deirdre Burton and my business is Breaking Clouds Art and Design. I sell original art and prints of the same and wood turned bowls, handcrafted chopping boards, platters, soap holders, incense holders and egg and toast boards, created by my partner Mike Flynn. I joined ShopInIreland in August 2021 because I wanted to sell my products on an Irish website that was prominently for handmade products.

Published on September 05, 2022

I’m Anne Costello and my business is Precious Gifts. I sell gifts for her and gifts for babies. I joined ShopInIreland in early 2021. I knew it was a platform that would showcase my products and shop to a wide and diverse audience. My best sellers are gift boxes and gift baskets for women with a pampering and wellness theme and new baby gift boxes. I plan to continue to add new ranges to my shop and I have just launched my own Irish Brand 'Heartlands' a Luxury Irish-made natural Soy Candle & Wax Melts Gift Box. ShopInIreland is a great a one-stop shop for all wonderful the Irish businesses that you can't find on the high street.  Traders on the platform are passionate about what they do and are prepared to grow with ShopInIreland and whatever direction it takes. We are a resource of Irish entrepreneurs who know what it takes to work hard to get to where we want and collectively anything is possible.  I have learned a lot since joining ShopInIreland. ShopInIreland’s advertising reach and collective spend mean I am targeting customers I would never have access to without spending thousands. The expertise of the owners and ShopInIreland staff is priceless.

Published on September 01, 2022

I’m Nadia Zorzetto and my business is Yoganamara. I make handmade eye pillows for relaxation, headache and migraine relief, to aid sleep routines and soothe tired eyes. I also make sensory chewing necklaces for individuals with sensory needs and I also sell services in the form of online Yoga classes (both one-to-one and group sessions). I’ve been on ShopInIreland since September 2021. I wanted to give my products more visibility under the umbrella of a business that promotes and supports small Irish businesses. My bestsellers are the eye pillows and the sensory chewing necklaces, which started as a custom product following a request from a mum of a child with autism who was looking for fabric necklaces. Going forward, I plan to grow the presence of my products on ShopInIreland – and definitely give more visibility to the chewing necklaces as this product has great potential.  

Published on August 26, 2022

I’m Hananja from Alzera Design. We’re a husband and wife team. We started out in Dad’s garage as a hobby. We loved designing jewellery so much we wanted to share it with the world and decided to take our hobby a step further. We use sterling silver as our main medium and always look around for new fun materials to incorporate in our next jewellery piece. Alzera Design gives a unique twist to everyday jewellery. We create modern pieces for the ordinary, bold and courageous individual. With the pieces we make we do not only use sterling silver but combine it with mixed materials such as wood, resin and recycled materials as well as different alloys such as Zirconium. Because every piece is hand made no piece will ever look the same. ShopInIreland has become such a good marketplace for Irish handmade - It gave us the exposure we needed. People really do love supporting local businesses. We are currently busy creating our bog-wood collection and it is going faster than we can make it.  :-)

Published on August 24, 2022

I’m Eddie Conor Byrne and my business is Eddie’s Glass Studio. I create fused glass designs that range from homeware to jewellery. I’ve been with ShopInIreland from the beginning.  The platform and idea appealed to me as an Irish-based company helping promote Irish crafters and sellers. My best-selling items are glass jewellery, memorials, led lights and pocket angels. My plans for the future are to grow my business into a well-known brand and I’m also incorporating my laser cutting with my glass business. ShopInIreland.ie is an amazing platform. The website is very easy to use and the ShopInIreland team are 100% behind the crafters and sellers.  

Published on August 19, 2022

I’m Lisa Smith and my business is Lapis Jewellers. We sell handmade Jewellery with natural gemstones in 9, 14, 18ct. gold and 925 silver. We’ve been with ShopInIreland.ie since it began. We were all struggling with the effects of closures due to covid. ShopInIreland was developed and I joined as a way to start selling online. My Inspiration from Nature Collection are necklaces I made from things I started to notice in nature during lockdown walks and we have a lovely range of Connemara Marble pieces in Sterling Silver. We also sell beautiful handmade Claddagh pieces set with gemstones and diamonds. I’ve enjoyed learning and working with the platform and I’m going to continue to create lovely products and selling on ShopInIreland.

Published on August 15, 2022

My name is Emer and my shop is Crafty Monkeys. I sell bespoke embroidered products for all the family. This includes children’s birthday t-shirts, sibling shirts, christening shawls, vests and bibs, pet items and much more. Some of my bestsellers are dog blankets, personalised tote bags and personalised aprons. I’ve been on ShopInIreland.ie since February 2021 - I loved the ethos and wanted to support local myself by selling through a local site. Going forward I’m continually investing in the business to expand the range and types of products on offer. I’m currently in the process of expanding the baby products I offer, the range t-shirts and tops are next in line for expansion. Shop In Ireland is a great site and there are lots of amazing talents and sellers on it. It’s always my first point of call when looking for gifts myself and I’ve bought many items through the site myself. It’s allowed me to reach a wider audience and has done amazing things to help expand my business.

Published on August 08, 2022

My name is Carmel and my shop is The Woolly Drawer. I sell handknit first year baby clothing items and specialise in baby Aran. I’ve been on shopinireland.ie from the beginning. It offered me the opportunity to sell to a wider audience, gave me greater exposure, allowed me to expand my collection and most importantly, increase sales. Shop In Ireland focuses on businesses within Ireland supporting them to excel at their trade. Shop In Ireland has our backs and advise and include us in new things which may come on board. The website has made things extremely easy for me so much so I only sell now from the website. I don't have to send numerous messages back and forth about sizes, colours, payments, postage, queries. It's a serious time-saver for me as I need my hands working on my products. My best-selling products are handknit baby Aran jacket and hat sets, handknit baby cardigans, new-born three-piece gift sets and santa and Jack hats. In the future I plan to expand on different types of baby Aran and increase my already large selection of colours. People like variety and the chance to select new things and different colours. One day I’ll sell my own patterns too - when I find time to write them up! I ought to add that I have also purchased from Shop In Ireland many times too and everything received was amazing!    

Published on February 17, 2022

Joe’s Jotter: Grade Inflation 2022 - Startling Subject Statistics   With Leaving Certificate grades ‘apparently’ rising recently, I decided to do my own comparison analysis of Leaving Certificate results from the years 2018 and 2021 as per Table 1 below. Over 90% of students sat 245,850 leaving cert papers in 2021. In comparing the written papers that the students sat against the accredited grades given by their schools, the results show that 68% of accredited grades were inaccurate (i.e. they were at least a grade out compared to what the student scored in their June sit down exams). Firstly, this margin of error is way too high to endorse the ‘Accredited Grades’ process. Upon looking closer at this data, the percentage of students scoring a H4 or above in 2021 (A H4 is between 60% and 70% at higher level) has produced very surprising results. What amazed me from looking at the statistics was how grades in nearly all subjects have jumped in three short years. Across the twelve subjects I sampled, the average increase (H4 grades or above) when comparing LC 2018 to 2021 was an eye watering 14%. This is substantial. Table 1: The percentage of students that scored a H4 or above in LC 2021 and LC 2018* Sample Subject Percentage of Students achieving a H4 or above(2021 Bolded) (2018 Bracketed) Music 95% (89%)  +6% Technology 83% (72%) +11% Engineering 78% (70%) +8% Irish 84% (70%) +14% Design and Communication Graphics (DCG) 88% (70%) +18% Home Economics (S&S) 82% (68%) +14% Accounting 84% (63%) +21% Biology 73% (61%) +12% Chemistry 80% (61%) +19% Maths 73% (60%) +13% Politics and Society 74% (59%) +15% Physics 78% (59%)  +19% *Source: Data from www.examinations.ie From this data, my feeling is that you cannot compare Leaving Cert students who completed exams before 2018 to the 2020 or 2021 cohort; and of course we are doing so. This throws up a lot of questions about where our education system is going. It seems serious inconsistency has set in, with a new benchmark set for future student results. Is it now a ‘medal for everyone’ mentality, with this seemingly watershed moment in 2020? How can we even compare Leaving Certificate results before and during/after the pandemic? To me this ‘Grade Inflation’ whiffs of optics and how Ireland’s PISA scores ‘need’ to compare globally. I feel that the department has taken the opportunity to ramp our scores right up under the darkness of pandemic cover. From the data and in my view, ‘Accredited grades’ hasn’t worked and isn’t a future option. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t welcome a Leaving Certificate review now, with a view to more continuous assessment. Adding Increased marking scheme flexibility to this emerging data, the bell curve has all but been eliminated, while shockingly some students who got the maximum 625 points in 2021 didn’t even get their first choice in college. If the model of the last two years remains in place for our 2022 6th years, many of these students will be heading to third level without having the experience of completing a State Exam. This will put them at an immediate disadvantage heading into first year. Students are scoring higher than ever now, but are they more knowledgeable than their predecessors? I doubt it. Radical percentage increases over such a short period of time like this doesn’t sit well with me at all. It may well stabilise itself in future years, but worryingly a new bar and paradigm has been set, and like everything that changes, the genie is out of the bottle now. See below for details about Joe as a Maths Tutor and his ACE Maths Solution Books 2022. ACE Maths Classes: acesolutionbooks.com/ace-maths-tuition ACE Maths Solution Books: acesolutionbooks.com/buy-my-books