{"id":578487,"date":"2026-08-01T07:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T07:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/578487\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T07:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T07:32:10","slug":"meet-the-makers-women-in-cork-continuing-crafts-learned-from-their-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/578487\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the makers: Women in Cork continuing crafts learned from their families"},"content":{"rendered":"

This August is Cork Craft Month, an annual festival now in its 17th year, celebrating traditional and contemporary craftmanship through a variety of events across the city and county.<\/p>\n

The festival is organised by Cork Craft & Design, a social enterprise that represents more than 110 professional artists and craftspeople.<\/p>\n

Ava Hayes, Festival Director of Cork Craft Month, says this year\u2019s programme \u201coffers more opportunities than ever for people to discover new skills, meet makers and experience the creativity, expertise and passion that goes into handmade work.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the festival introduces the public to new crafts every year, for some artists, craftmanship is in the blood, passed down through generations. Clonakilty-based Reham Ghafraji is one such crafter. Originally from Syria, Reham moved to Ireland with her family in 2017, working as a beauty therapist until covid struck.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, salons were closed and I lost my job,\u201d Reham recalls. \u201cThis was one my hardest moments, but it actually allowed me back to my roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

These roots are in the tradition of soap-making, a skill that has been passed down through Reham\u2019s maternal family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a third-generation soap-maker,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my happiest childhood memories, watching my family make soap. I remember the wonderful smell of olive oil and fresh soap. Watching them cut every single bar by hand. When I was watching this, I never realised that I too would be a soap maker in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

During lockdown, Reham started to make soap for herself, her friends, and her neighbours. They were a hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey encouraged me to start my own business,\u201d recalls Reham. \u201cAnd yes, I\u2019m here six years now, full-time soap-making!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her company, Soap & More, creates soaps that blend her Syrian heritage with a love of Irish nature and produce. She uses extra virgin olive oil mixed with ingredients like beeswax, goat\u2019s milk and honey, which she sources from local farms.<\/p>\n

\"RehamReham Ghafraji says Cork Craft Month is a \u201cwonderful opportunity\u201d for craftspeople like her<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lovely combination between the Syrian heritage and the Irish landscape and nature,\u201d says Reham. \u201cBut there is a small difference between the market in Syria and here in Ireland. When I first started soap-making here in Ireland, I did lots of skincare workshops and courses just to learn what the Irish people are looking for in their skincare or soap.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s always learning about her craft: \u201cI\u2019m really obsessed with herbs and oils. I have hundreds of oils! I sometimes don\u2019t even have a chance to use them in the soaps. But I love to research herbs and oils, read about and discover them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, my favourite part\u201d, Reham adds, \u201cis just using the natural, simple ingredients and transforming them into something very beautiful and useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

While her mother and grandmother before her were the soap-makers of the family, Reham also learned a lot of the science behind her craft from her father, a pharmacist. \u201cHe would do a formula for cream for the skin, especially for eczema and rosacea. I remember being next to him and seeing him mix all the herbs and the ingredients together for the customer… so I learned this from both sides!\u201d<\/p>\n

Reham sells her soaps online, at markets and via various shops and pharmacies across Cork.<\/p>\n

She is looking forward to this year\u2019s Cork Craft Month, in particular the new Open-Air Makers Market which will take place at Douglas Court Shopping Centre on August 7. The market will bring together Cork makers and artists in a public showcase of locally made craft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful opportunity for me,\u201d says Reham of the market and wider festival. \u201cIt allows me to connect with people who value handmade crafts and traditional skills. And it gives me a chance to share my story of Syrian soap-making, and my family history as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reham would love to see the soap-making tradition continue in her family. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just making a product,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s about family tradition, sharing knowledge, keeping a part of the culture and heritage alive. I would be super proud if future generations, my kids, continue this craft. If they add on ideas, but respect the family tradition of soap-making. I would love this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another crafter with the creative arts in her DNA is Cobh-based potter, Diana Skalkos. Her grand-uncle was the acclaimed artist, William Sheehan. He and Diana\u2019s aunt, Valerie Horgan, were both award-winning Crawford Art College students.<\/p>\n

William\u2019s work is permanently exhibited in the Crawford, and Diana has formative memories of visiting the gallery with her family, as she recalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my mother brought us into town and she wanted to go anywhere, she\u2019d leave us in the Crawford and say, \u2018Break one single thing and so help me, God!\u2019 But she\u2019d say, \u2018Look at the paintings, and go up and look at your granduncle\u2019s painting… And if anyone asks you, say that you\u2019re allowed in here!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Diana\u2019s mother, she recalls, \u201cwould always try to surround us with beautiful things\u201d, which inspired her love for art. She has fond memories of her aunt Valerie and her passion for craft, too:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was very creative. She did a lot of what would be traditionally considered women\u2019s crafts – embroidery, crochet and things like that. When she died, nobody wanted her work, but I wanted it. So I have a whole cupboard full of it and I take it out and look at it. She was very, very skilled. And I think now she would be considered a very contemporary artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, at the time, she was just kind of working away at home and working as a nurse, which is what she had to do to earn a living. But she kept up [her art] for her whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LaunchingLaunching the 2026 Cork Craft Month programme, clockwise, from left, Fernanda Schneider, Diana Skalkos, Sabina Lucas and John Bastow, at St Peter\u2019s Cork on North Main Street. See corkcraftanddesign.ie Picture: Michael O\u2019Sullivan \/ OSM PHOTO<\/p>\n

Diana has inherited the family artistic talent, which for her is expressed through ceramics. She lived abroad for many years before returning to Cork, and studied her craft at Kensington & Chelsea Colleges and Westminster University in London, where she learned traditional pottery skills and discovered a whole new way to communicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m dyslexic, language has always been very difficult for me\u201d, says Diana. \u201c[Ceramics] became the first language I was ever really proficient in. It\u2019s the only way I could really express myself. Even when I learn big words in English, I forget them. The way for me to get my message across is through that visual expression, and it gave me so much freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diana\u2019s work is inspired by a rural Irish childhood and the natural beauty of Ireland. Married to a Greek man, she became fascinated with Greek mythology and searched for an Irish equivalent – \u201csomething that was uniquely ours\u201d, she explains, \u201cthat was uniquely of us\u201d.<\/p>\n

It was from this search that her series, \u2018Celtic Women\u2019, was born. It examines the lives of modern women through the rituals that tie us to our ancient past – be it feeding the birds, or sea-swimming, or reading voraciously. \u201cThere is an incredible Irish Celtic spirit in these women, and I think that sometimes we forget it\u2019s there. But it\u2019s very much alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process, for Diana, is the best part of crafting. \u201cIt\u2019s about the clay,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe smoothness of it. The softness. It takes you somewhere else. It\u2019s very much about the process for me. I don\u2019t really care about the result. Once it\u2019s finished, I don\u2019t even want to see it, ever!\u201d<\/p>\n

With her creative heritage, does Diana hope to see artistry continue to be passed down through her family?<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose what I really want to pass down is passion,\u201d she considers. \u201cA passion and a love for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other Corkonians with a passion for crafts, August will be busy for Diana. She is curating exhibitions and leading workshops at various venues across Cork Craft Month. \u201cI\u2019m very excited about the whole thing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Her anticipation is mirrored by Festival Director Ava Hayes, who concludes: \u201cFrom exhibitions and demonstrations to hands-on workshops and new public events such as the Douglas Court Open Air Makers Market, we\u2019ve created a programme that invites people to engage with craft in a meaningful and accessible way while celebrating the incredible talent that exists across Cork.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cork Craft Month is an annual celebration of contemporary and traditional craft across Cork city and county. For this year\u2019s full programme of events, visit https:\/\/corkcraftanddesign.ie\/<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Find out more about Reham Ghafraji\u2019s soaps at www.soapandmore.ie<\/a>target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”> and Diana Skalkos\u2019 ceramics at https:\/\/corkcraftanddesign.ie\/collections\/diana-skalkos-ceramics<\/a>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This August is Cork Craft Month, an annual festival now in its 17th year, celebrating traditional and contemporary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[243924,61,60,80],"class_list":["post-578487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-cork-craft-month","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}