Discover the Galway Brands Driving Ireland’s Design Scene at Showcase Ireland

Ever wondered how the products you buy end up on the shelves? Well, one key source is Showcase Ireland’s Creative Expo, which celebrates 50 years in business this weekend. It’s a key date in the diary for buyers and retailers and one that elevates the work of Ireland’s designers, makers and craftspeople each January. 

Established by the Design & Crafts Council Ireland, the industry-only trade show began life in 1975 as the National Crafts Fair and has grown from showcasing the work of just 50 exhibitors 50 years ago to an economically vital show for some 400 brands and businesses each year. 

This year’s event will feature emerging and heritage brands alike, thousands of trade visitors and millions of euros in orders placed. Curious about what Galway brands will be there? Read on to find out.

Irish Socksciety

Socks are a fairly essential piece of kit for most of us and yes we could buy boring plain socks from fast fashion stores but it’s so much more rewarding to buy bold and brilliant designs from an Irish brand like Irish Socksciety where Irish culture, language and craic are at the core of everything they do.

Their designs are great quality (we’ve had pairs for a couple of years now and they’re still going strong) as well as great fun and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Not only do their customers love their products but they have also been recognised with a slew of awards including the Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh award for their use of the cúpla focal and lots of other awards from the likes of Guaranteed Irish and Google. 

Available in over 200 stores countrywide, as well as from their online store, why not give your feet a treat with designs that celebrate Galway, hurling, Bosco and beyond?

Lorraine Fletcher Art

Lorraine Fletcher works from her studio in Kinvara where her vibrant art is inspired by Irish wildlife. Her paintings focus on the connections we share with each other through the imagery of animals including foxes, deer, hares, butterflies and kingfishers.

Her distinctive style of work portrays bright and colourful subjects with added accents of copper and gold leaf.

The artist works with acrylic paints on canvas - also turning these works into limited edition prints as well as working on private commissions. New to Fletcher’s collection for 2025 is a range of coastal-inspired animal prints featuring bold colours and gold detailing.

Mervue Organic

Mervue Organic makes some of the best skincare products we’ve come across and we’re not just biased. Not only are their skincare products beautifully presented but their plant-based formulas are highly effective too.

Made in their Cosmos-approved facility in Mervue, the company blends plant oils and active nutrient-dense superfruits with aromatic essential oils to create luxurious products for the face and body that are certified by the Soil Association, cruelty free and vegan.

The raw ingredients for the Mervue Organics skincare range are sourced from Soil Association-certified organic growers meaning you can rest assured that they are formulated using ingredients that have been sourced responsibly and ethically without the use of chemicals, synthetic pesticides or herbicides. With more attention being paid to what we put on our skin and into our bodies, how reassuring is that?

My Tribe

The team at The Glassworks in Tuam is renowned for its talent and expertise in creating bespoke pieces for residential and commercial properties. When it comes to making glass pieces even more personal though, a collaboration with artist and writer Regina Gleeson has resulted in a beautiful range of glass jewellery under the brand My Tribe. 

My Tribe combines a contemporary aesthetic influenced by modern artists including Calder and Kandinsky with the Celtic designs of the family tribes of Galway to create colourful, striking, modern pieces of jewellery. The range of torcs, pendants, rings and earrings made from fused glass and sterling silver. Pieces bound to make a statement.

Julie Clarke Candles

Julie Clarke Candles are elegant candles presented in porcelain and stoneware vessels that are made in small batches in Galway and that smell amazing.

The company uses the finest plant-based fragrances and waxes to make their home scents which are certified vegan and cruelty-free.

Shortlisted for the UK Gift of the Year this year, their candles can be found in over 80 stores around Ireland so keep your eye out for this Galway brand.

RusTech Wood

Galway company Rustech is the first company in the world to make watches from Irish wood, and their designs make for perfect gifts, especially perhaps, for loved ones overseas.

Each watch tells the story of the area the wood is sourced from. Ash comes from Claregalway - famed for the river Clare and its Franciscan friary; yew comes from Coole Park - made famous, of course, by dramatist, folklorist and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, Lady Gregory as well as by the iconic poetry of WB Yeats. The elm used in RusTech’s watch designs comes from Abbeyknockmoy and whiskey lovers will love ‘The Cooper’ - a man’s watch made from Irish whiskey casks that features a leather strap and Swiss movement. 

Sketchico

Sketchico is an art business that produces contemporary photography-based digital prints with a Galway twist. Blending traditional and digital techniques, their work showcases Ireland’s landmarks and traditions in a bold, modern style. 

Beginning with iconic Galway landmarks such as Blackrock Diving Tower and The Long Walk, Sketchico have developed a diverse collection that resonates with both locals and visitors alike.  

The brand is a creative collaboration between Kerry Quinlan and her partner architect and artist Juan Sotoparra. Their talent is in transforming photographs into evocative art pieces that capture the essence of a memory, a place or a connection - making them a beautiful reflection of Ireland that still stays true to the brand’s Galway roots.

The Wonky Woolins

What child (or, erm, adult - just saying) wouldn’t love to cuddle up to one of Chloe Gardiner’s Wonky Woolins with all their character and colour?

Originally inspired by her granny’s handmade toys, these modern day Wonky Woollens are designed and finished in Ireland while being handmade by women in countries such as Peru, Morocco, Turkey and Nepal through a network of charities, social enterprises and fair trade manufacturers that provide ethical employment to marginalised women. 

Wild Atlantic Wicks

Based in Craughwell, Wild Atlantic Wicks are makers of handmade candles that feature the inclusion of the Irish language with candles dedicated to mammies and grannies, teachers and godmothers as well as to Dόchas (hope), Mo Shíográ (My eternal love) and Anam Chara (soulmate). 

Each hand-poured candle features a unique scent and is made from 100% natural wax. We love the use of the wooden wicks which create evocative crackles as they burn. At €25 each, these scented candles are more affordable than those by many big name brands on the market and we love the scent combinations that include black vetiver and tonka bean, blackberry and bay and sea salt and wood sage.