Clover Rua

Bloom day one 💚✨

A beautiful first day filled with connection, old friends popping by, wonderful customers and my gorgeous helper.
Our little green postbox has become such a popular part of the stand, with visitors posting their favourite Clover Rua designs throughout the day.
It’s been such a joy meeting people from all over, sharing stories of heritage, family, and memories of place and I’m looking forward to meeting many more of you over the coming days.
Come and say hi, and don’t forget to post your favourites in our little green postbox postbox 🌸💚💚💚

Dublin has been my muse for the longest time 💙

Getting a mention in The Irish Times during my graduate exhibition was a big deal for me, it felt validating.
My parents had hoped I would take another route, but I fought hard for art and a creative life.
I was the first in my family to get to go to college and art and design would never have been their choice.
But it couldn’t have been any other way.

Looking towards Bloom now, there’s still a part of me that carries an awareness of those who came before me, the opportunities they didn’t have, the risks they couldn’t take.
I think that’s partly why I never take any of this for granted and why I’m still so grateful to be creating.
I’m very excited to be heading to next week with and a tribe of fabulous creators ✨✨✨💚💚💚

When working on the application for Bloom, this little poem came to me.There was a question about connection to Bloom / The Phoenix Park

I found myself thinking about my family and the generations of Dublin artisans who went before me . None of them had gardens of their own. I thought about my great-grandfather moving to Dublin from west Cork for work in Guinness living beside the Phoenix Park.
City living meant nature was often found elsewhere. The parks were their gardens .
Wildflowers became symbolic of that quiet longing for beauty, rest and connection to the land.

It feels very special now to be bringing Clover Rua to Bloom.

I’m honoured to be exhibiting with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, with whom my connection goes back many years. My first exhibition after graduating was with them at their gallery in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin, in a show called Interiors, curated by Robert O’Byrne.

There have been many exhibitions since then, but this will be Clover Rua’s first Bloom, and it feels like the beginning of a new chapter.
I’ll be sharing new collections inspired by Irish wildflowers, heritage and place, and I’m really looking forward to meeting you there💚. Find us at Stand 13 in the Craft Village 💚💚💚✨