The aim of this blog post is to lay down some ground rules as to what constitutes a gift item or design piece that is actually “made in Ireland”. If it were a simple question, it would have a simple answer as follows:
Question– Is this gift made in Ireland?
Answer-Yes/No
The truth is that it actually is a very simple question!
The reality is a lot more confusing and results in many Irish designers feeling extremely frustrated and many buyers of traditional Irish gifts being essentially duped up to their eyeballs. Of course we realise that by using the word “duped” we are ourselves implying complicity by some designers in using the Irish made gifts umbrella. Now if that is another simple question we could just answer “Yes/No” as before, but these are not simple questions and the answers are somewhat akin to the” Irish Forty Shades of Green “,which is not anything similar to the more infamous” Fifty Shades of Grey”. The issue is not with the designers that have realised it is more competitive to have their products made abroad. That is their prerogative and says a lot about the costs involved in running a business in Ireland.
The issue lies with the subsequent labelling of goods not made in Ireland. There is a huge difference between a label that states “Gifts from Ireland” ,”Irish Gifts”, “Irish Design”, and ”Irish Gifts For Children” which may not have been made in Ireland
And
“Gifts Made in Ireland”, ”Irish Made Gifts”, ”Irish Made Designs” and ”Irish Made Gifts For Children” which is stating that they are all in fact made here in Ireland. Big difference!
Designers and crafts persons seek more clarity in the labelling of” Irish” goods. They argue that it is consumer Kocher, to denote not only the country where an item was designed,(or” born” as the label nicely puts it) but just as importantly (if not more!) the country where it was made.
This puts the final decision back firmly in the rightful hands of the consumer who having seen the non- ambiguous label can now make an informed decision as to their purchase should they wish. With a fair labelling system it may actually be a genuine case of the “Best of Irish”.This means that ”Irish Gifts For Him” and “Irish Gifts For Her” can now battle it out fairly with “Irish Made Gifts for Him” and “Irish Made Gifts for Her” ….and may the best couple win! Irish Jewellery will have a right royal battle on its’ hands when a Claddagh design made in China is now being annihilated by the genuine “Claddagh Design” made in Ireland.
Irish humour and Irish wit may be as world renowned, as the Irish weather and the Irish people, but we should not be laughing at the cuteness of misleading labels that not only compromise the integrity of genuine guaranteed Irish made craft and design, but also cripple our economy.
So to answer the question…is everything on Irish Made Gifts made in Ireland?
YES!
