Hands Series- David & Sally Shaw Smith
A National Treasure
By Averil Staunton
The 'Hands' documentary films not only record the various craft processes of Ireland in great detail, but also create a unique archive of life here at the end of the 20th century.
Ballinrobe Crafts
No doubt many of these crafts were also used or created in the Ballinrobe area and if you know of, or have any images of local people, or stories about them we would love to hear from you and "Capture it before it disappears".
Skilled camers work
David Shaw Smith’s, (who lives in the Ballinrobe area), skilled camera work and direction, accompanied by his wife Sally’s creativity together with the talents of various, editors, technicians and sensitive narrators, combined to produce this outstanding series of 37 documentaries.
A full list of the crafts covered are:
- Wool Spinning
- Irish Lace
- Donegal Weavers
- Donegal Carpets
- English Silk
- Irish Patchwork
- Irish Embroidery
- Woolen Mill
- Tailor
- Carriage Building
- Cavan Cabinet Makers
- Cavan Cooper
- Dublin’s Viking Longship
- Hurl Making
- Shannon One Design
- Chair maker John Surlis
- Harp Making
- Irish Spinning Wheel Making
- Carlies Bridge Potteries
- Belleek Potteries
- Pipeworks
- A Dublin Silversmith
- Powers of the Metal
- Stone
- Dublin’s Workhorses
- Shoemaking
- A Dublin Bookbinder
- Currachs
- The saddler
- Rush-work
- Wexford Thatcher
- Basket Making
- Fermanagh County
- A Dublin Candlemaker
- Lightshouse Crafts
- Stoneground
- Of Bees & Bee Skeps
Capture it before it disappears
The documentaries remain a testament to artisan craft, quality and tradition in a world obsessed with cost and convenience and indeed many of the crafts and skills showcased have been lost to the sands of time.
The David Shaw Smith Library
In recognition of his outstanding service to the Crafts Council of Ireland, a new library and archive room in the Crafts Council’s headquarters in Kilkenny is named the David Shaw Smith Library and Archive Room.