Irish Gifts

Whether it's finding a present for your friend's new baby or sending off a bottle of champagne to the beaming bride and groom, Tour Clare is pleased to offer only the best in Irish gifts. Our selections include items from Irish crystal to fine linens, created by some of the most celebrated names in Ireland, such as Rachel Allen, Patrick Guilbaud, Louise Kennedy, Helen Fitzpatrick, Louis Mulcahy, Nicholas Mosse and Thomas Ferguson. We are especially keen on Irish pottery by Louis Mulcahy and Nicholas Mosse and Tipperary crystal designed by Rachel Allen, Louise Kennedy and Patrick Guilbaud. We're fond of the finer things in life and what could be finer than giving something lovely to a friend.  And it doesn't have to be a special occasion. The best gift possible is the unexpected one. Tour Clare makes this easy for you by working with one of the top online, gift companies in Ireland to bring you brilliant choices and responsible delivery around the world. So be sure to browse through our collections of Irish gifts and keep this in mind: You might just want to send some of these lovely items to yourself.

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Below, we have a brief preview of Irish gifts and their designers available on Tour Clare. For a complete selection, please follow the links on the Irish Gifts photograph located on the right of this page.

Designers

Host of the cooking show, Rachel Allen Bake, Rachel lives near the famous Irish cooking school, Ballymaloe, where she attended, starting when she was 18.

Her recipes are interesting but easy to follow (check out her instructions on how to bake up white chocolate blondies) and her light, friendly personality makes watching her show quite intertaining.

Who better to create designs for such items as cooking tins and cutting boards?

In addition to her well-known excellence in the cuisine arts, Rachel designs crystal and porcelain items for Tipperary Crystal.

Rachel's husband, Isaac, is also a good cook who runs three restaurants (sorry lads). They have two sons and a daughter.

She has a new cook book out called, Home Cooking. You can purchase her cook books and view more information on her website, Rachel Allen.

The best of France is not always found in the southern regions. Sometimes it is in Ireland as is the case with Patrick Guilbaud.

The person who lends his name and talents to this Michelin Star rated Dublin restaurant is a native of Cognac and opened his first restaurant in England in 1974.

After a few years, Patrick exported himself (along with his ample talent) to Ireland (in 1981) and built a legend at 21 Upper Merrion Street in Dublin.

Kudos have come in from newspapers around the globe for the restaurant, Patrick Guibaud, and the cuisine it serves earned it the distinction of becoming the first Michelin two-star restaurant in all of Ireland.

Known internationally as a wine connoisseur, Patrick has consorted with Tipperary Crystal to offer his own line of wine glasses.

After graduating from Dublin's Grafton Academy in 1982, Louise Kennedy embarked on a journey in fashion design that would make her name a hallmark for quality and understated sophistication.

Her success lies in the simple philosophy of having the highest standards in workmanship and materials.

For over a decade, now, she has done the same in the field of crystal design.

Her collection of elegant crystal from Tipperary Crystal includes fine gifts and masterpieces ranging from elegant stemware to incredible crystal chandeliers.

Louise's breathtakingly beautiful chandeliers are available in clear crystal, amethyst, peridot and rose quartz. Understated they are not.

You can visit Louise Kennedy's flagship store at 56 Merrion Square in Dublin.

Louis Mulcahy has been potting for nearly forty years. The last of the big potteries making all their pottery exclusively in Ireland, his workshop and its sister companies in weaving and lampshade decoration have grown from his, and his wife Lisbeth's, original two-man operation to employ over forty people.

Having won first prize for pottery in the National Crafts Competition in 1975, Louis decided to move his workshop from Dublin to Dingle.

He and Lisbeth left interesting, secure employment; sold their house and invested their savings in the then very risky venture.

The vision was to produce the aesthetically and technically best pottery possible and to develop a studio/workshop which would leave an indelible print on the long term history of Irish handcraft.

Nicholas Mosse Pottery was established by Nicholas Mosse in 1976 after periods of training in England and Japan. His mission was to produce beautiful, functional pottery in the style of Irish Spongeware.

Irish spongeware was the traditional pottery of Ireland used in the 18th Century. It was mainly made in simple honest shapes with a decoration applied with a cut sponge.

The decoration was rurally inspired often using images of animals and plants popular in the region. Nick set up the pottery in an old flour mill producing his pottery in the traditional way, by hand.

The clay was mixed locally and the kilns were fired by hydropower from the nearby river Nore. Using the inspiration of the quiet rural surroundings, the pottery was decorated by hand with a wide range of natural forms and patterns.

From these small beginnings the business has evolved into being one of Ireland's best known and most popular potteries. He now produces an extensive range of patterns and shapes all still made and decorated by hand.

Helen Fitzpatrick graduated from the University of Ulster in 1989 with a first class honours degree in fine craft design.

She lived and worked in New York before settling near Lurgan, Co Armagh. She specialises in fine hand embroidered jewellery created from an unusual blend of materials, such as threads, pearls, beads, gold purl, metal filigree, cords and Swarovski crystal.

Her designs have featured in the work of fashion houses including Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Bill Blass and Carolina Herrara. The New York Times, Vogue and Cosmopolitan have all featured her fashion ideas.

Her exquisite beading and embroidery designs have adorned many of the world's most beautiful women, such as Queen Rania of Jordan whose wedding dress sparkled with her creations, and Princess Diana.

Helen's creations are regularly spotted on the red carpet at the Baftas and Oscars, where they have been worn by Elle McPherson, Naomi Campbell and Julia Roberts.

Companies

Thomas Ferguson's Irish Linen is widely acknowledged as the finest linen Jacquard weaver in the world. This reputation for quality has been developed through many generations of dedication and skill and owes much to the company's rich heritage.

The Company, bears the name of its founder, Thomas Ferguson and has been offering quality Irish linen to customers since 1854.

Today there are still a few weavers weaving plain linens for apparel, but Thomas Ferguson is the only Irish linen damask weaver still remaining in the whole of Ireland weaving traditional Irish damask table linen.

Everyone at Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen has a passion about what they do, and they are proud of their heritage. They have never lost sight of their main strengths which are their craftsmanship, and their culture for quality. These talents have been developed over generations.

The combination of fine raw materials, skilled weavers, advanced loom technology and careful finishing has brought Thomas Ferguson a reputation, and a credibility, of which they are proud.

To this day Thomas Ferguson's name stands for the best in linen damask and indeed Irish Linen, and both the Ferguson and Irish linen brands, built up over generations, allows the customer to purchase with confidence.

Tipperary Crystal is an Irish design legend, and has become synonymous with high-end designs and excellent quality, creating modern and classical collections in Irish crystal and many other products.

The company was founded in the 1980s by master craftsmen Joe Foley and John Meagher when they established a team of craft workers and designers, uncompromising in their commitment to superb design and high quality product.

Tipperary Crystal is committed to promoting Irish design and collaborates with Ireland's most talented and well known designers. Each season new products and ranges reflect their individual styles and contemporary design trends.

Our designers work includes crystal and glassware, ceramics, textiles, scented candles.

Tipperary Crystal is widely acclaimed for its chandeliers with over 50 different styles in the current collection. Chandeliers may be customized to a customer's specific requirements.

Our specialised corporate division can make one-off crystal pieces for any event, and our in-house designers are available to discuss specific needs and requirements.

At Belleek we understand the the modern home is much more than just a living space. It's a sanctuary - the place where we can retreat from our hectic lifestyles and truly relax.

Belleek Living has been designed to reflect the harmony and calm of your home. A range that sits confortably with design-led urban living, yet draws on the skills and materials that have been the pride of Belleek for centuries.

In 1849 John Caldwell Bloomfield inherited the Castlecaldwell estate, which encompassed the village of Belleek, from his father. Mindful of the plight of his tenants in the aftermath of the potato famine he sought to provide some form of worthwhile employment.

An amateur mineralogist, he ordered a geological survey of his land. To his delight it revealed the necessary raw materials to make Pottery - feldspar, kaolin, flint, clay and shale.

The village of Belleek, whose name in Gaelic, beal leice, translates to 'Flagstone Ford' was a natural choice to locate the business especially the part of the village known as Rose Isle.

This small isle provided the best opportunity to leash the yet untamed power of the River Erne, power to drive a mill wheel strong enough to grind components into slip, the term applied to liquid potters clay.

Royal Tara is proud to be involved in the fine bone china business since 1953.

Situated on the west coast of Ireland in Galway city, early Royal Tara fine bone china is today a precious heirloom in homes all over the world.

For over fifty years, now, fine bone china tableware and giftware have been synonymous with Royal Tara in Ireland.

The Royal Tara philosophy has always been to offer the highest quality goods to the market.

All Royal Tara gifts have a strong emphasis on functionality, originality and with a strong Irish theme.

Established since 1892, Foxford Woolen Mills has a long history of producing quality woven woolen products from famine times right up until today.

Since its inception, the Foxford name has become associated with quality and a sense of luxury which is apparent when you see and touch the products of this range.

Foxford Woolen Mills Visitor Centre is centrally located in County Mayo, just a short drive from any of the major towns.

If your groups are travelling from Galway to Sligo or vice versa, you will find that the Foxford Woollen Mills Visitor Centre is the ideal location for a lunch-stop with easy parking in the grounds plus all facilities under one roof.

For 70 years, Newbridge Silverware has designed and produced homeware products, continuously innovating and producing items that are relevant to the lifestyles of each new generation of customers.

The unique history of the company provides a wealth of tradition craftsmanship and experience, while a contemporary and fresh attitude to marketing and design puts Newbridge Silverware on the cutting edge of modern living.

Minimal styling and sculptural forms characterise the sophisticated beauty of the Newbridge Silverware range of giftware. This is seen in a coordinated collection of wine accessories, all designed for elegant entertaining.

Newbridge Silverware is very honoured to have been associated with the Special Olympics for which Newbridge designed and manufactured the torch.