At the heart of The Irish Design Loft’s new chapter are co-owners Mary Whelan and Eszter Almasi, two passionate champions of Irish creativity.
Mary Whelan, founder of the craft brand Eirlooms, brings experience in design and creative entrepreneurship. Her enduring passion for both traditional techniques and contemporary aesthetics continues to guide the evolving vision of The Irish Design Loft, infusing the space with authenticity, artistry, and heart
Eszter Almasi, a native of Budapest and now a proud Wicklow resident, brings over two decades of experience navigating Ireland’s rich cultural and creative landscape. With a professional background in business and tourism, she has spent years connecting with the country’s artistic soul, from intimate artisan studios to the grand halls of national museums, cultivating a deep appreciation for Irish craft and design.
Tell us about your retail business.
We specialise in Irish Craft & Design, showcasing work from makers all over the island of Ireland.
When did you first open?
October 2025!
How did your retail journey begin?
We have taken over from former owners Heather and David Walsh, but I had a previous business, Eirlooms, and Esther has many years experience in retail.
What kind of products or makers do you stock?
We love well made, thoughtfully designed, and often quirky products.
How do you choose the makers and products.
Gut feeling! Plus, we don’t like to choose products that are freely available everywhere. That is why we have started to produce our own lines.
Why is supporting Irish makers important to your business?
Irish makers are wonderful people. They do what the do largely for the love of working with their hands, and get very little financial reward for this. Creativity in society is so important, and we need to support those who keep it alive.
It’s heartbreaking to meet someone who is a talented designer and maker, and hear that they have had to give it up to go back to a full time office job to make ends meet.
How would you describe your store’s identity
Warm, vibrant ,rich in variety and interest.
What is your background in craft?
I have always been a maker, even as a young child. I just love creating something from raw materials. I work with textiles now, but I specialised in Mosaic art for a number of years.
Esther is a painter, and produces beautiful small portraits of animals on stone. We both make wreaths and floral centrepieces in the shop also.
What do your customers love most about your in-store/online experience?
Well, we’re very new to this particular business, but so far what we hear is that they love to hear the story behind the product, as well as our friendliness and how we thank them for supporting Irish craft and design.
What would you say to anyone thinking of becoming a Made Local Retailer?
It’s very tough, but also very rewarding. Not always financially rewarding, but in the sense that you meet wonderful people in the makers, and it’s very exciting to collaborate with them. Like recently we visited a linen factory in Wexford.
It was amazing to see the product from beginning, which we then took to another maker in Wexford to have made into cushion covers.
It’s very hard sometimes to compete with the cheap mass produced foreign products which have flooded the country in recent years, but it’s also very satisfying to feel that we are a small part of the support that Irish makers deserve.
What is your most memorable moment or product you had with your shop
I make Dublin Gulls. The real seagulls are synonymous with people having their food stolen out of their hands, so they bring a smile to people’s faces. They have literally flown all over the world!
