Mairéad lived a life of artistic richness and concern for social justice
The artist Anne Heffernan has penned the following tribute to the late Mairead Cairbre who died suddenly and unexpectedly at her home in Murrintown in March.
To pay tribute to this remarkable and talented person, it is important to acknowledge what she herself always acknowledged as being the foundation of her wider artistic life - a strong value system and creative inspiration.
From the earliest age, Mairéad was taught the importance of a sense of community, of collective creativity, and having a decent set of principles by which to live and work.
Born in Longford to her parents, the late Peter and Patricia Carberry, Mairéad always cited both of these talented people as her first and enduring influences. Her father Peter, the renowned uileann-piper, fostered a love for, and commitment to the music, culture, folklore and language of Ireland. His dedication to playing the pipes was matched by his generosity in sharing his skills with others, and ensuring that his generation would leave the music in good hands thereafter. He was a teacher of many.
Mairéad became an accomplished Irish Dancer as a little girl (along with her sister Kitty). She also became a great camogie-player, retaining a lifelong passion for Gaelic Games.
Accomplished in needlework, her mother Patricia influenced her in terms of fine craftsmanship, being the first to teach her an understanding of materials, and what could be expressed with a needle and thread.
Such were the rich influences that aided the emergence of the gifted artist that was Mairéad Cairbre.
Straight out of school at 18, Mairéad got a job in the civil service as a junior executive, and spent four happy years working at the Customs House in Dublin. During this time, she volunteered on the nightly soup-run for the homeless in Dublin with Father Peter McVerry. This deepened her natural inclination to making a difference in terms of justice and equality in the world.
After that time, she left to work abroad for several years as a volunteer with the Columban Fathers - Viatores Christi.
This work took her to some of the most underprivileged communities in the world. She went first to British Columbia in Canada to work with the native American peoples, with whom she felt an instant and lasting kinship. Later on, she worked in Bolivia, Ecuador and her beloved Chile.
Her work in these countries saw the blossoming of a natural gift for community activism and development, for counselling, and for working at the front lines for the peace and justice denied to many communities.
Her time in Chile coincided with the Pinochet regime; a brutal time of oppression for the poorest communities there. This was dangerous, exhausting work, from which this brave young Irish woman never flinched, and which left her with lifelong friendships in that country.
In the spirit of respect for each culture in which she worked, Mairéad also shared her textile skills, and learnt from the people there. She gained techniques and knowledge about the age-old traditions of weaving, embroidery and appliqué in those countries, as well as learning about their music, dance and histories. Her ability to connect ran deep.
During the mid-80s, she returned to Ireland, coming to live in her new home on a hilltop in what was to become her beloved Wexford, her purple-and-gold roots being firmly established in no time!
She now decided to focus her energy on her artistic life, and trained as a dress designer at the Grafton Academy in Dublin, perfecting her techniques in garment design, pattern-making and tailoring. This added to her already rich skills-base in textile making.
She developed and launched her own line of heirloom christening gowns and accessories, under the name ‘ Tír na nÓg Creations’. Quite the opposite to mass produced and disposable fashion, each of Mairéad’s creations was personally designed for each child, and handmade by her. The use of ‘white-onwhite’ was her trademark and each heirloom piece was exquisite in terms of attention to detail. Her mastery of her materials of choice; her own handmade lace, Irish linen, silk and organza, was evident throughout.
The designs and motifs she used had their origins in ancient Celtic designs and symbolism, and the legends with which she grew up. Those lucky enough to have acquired one of these beautiful ceremonial sets of clothing to welcome a new child into the world, has in their possession, something of timeless beauty and quality to pass down to future generations, just as Mairéad intended. She was delighted to win an award in the ‘Craft and Gift’ category in the RDS at Showcase 2008 for this beautiful work.
Around this time, Mairéad was working as a tour guide in the JFK Arboretum in New Ross. She had developed over the years, an in-depth knowledge of trees and plants from all parts of the world, and especially those native to Ireland. Motifs of oak-leaves, flowers, plants, butterflies etc. now became part of her vocabulary in embroidery and lace and appeared on her beautiful work in Irish linen.
The elements of silk in her work became increasingly significant, and she began a line of work in silk and silk-velvet. This afforded time to explore the possibilities of colour in her creations. This resulted in a series of one-off, beautiful scarves and evening wraps in glorious colours, and when Mairéad used colour, she did it in the same way as she did everything, with great gusto and exactitude!
Her design and craftsmanship were always at a high level, she set great store in standards of excellence, and encouraged others to do likewise. She had a tremendous work ethic, and was famously energetic and enthusiastic. Her dedication to her creative life grew and grew, and alongside that, a dedication to the collective good, and to her community.
Mairéad was deeply involved in developing co-operative ventures with other craftworkers, recognising the importance of ‘all the boats rising together’, and the sharing of resources and opportunities. She helped to set up the ‘South Wexford Crafts Trail’ with her colleagues in 2009 which evolved into the ‘Wexford Crafts Trail’ by 2012, covering a wider geographical footprint.
She was also one of the leading figures of the Fairtrade Group in Wexford, which she co-founded with her old friends Denis Collins and Chris Culleton (both sadly deceased). Together with other members who joined this small determined group, they succeeded in earning the status of ‘Fairtrade Town’ for Wexford. Together they raised a new awareness in Wexford about the question of ethics in matters of global trade and commerce. The road signs at the entrance points to Wexford town which declare ‘Wexford is a Fairtrade town’, were a great source of pride to Mairéad, Denis, Chris and their friends ever after.
Mairéad was also involved in Wexford Tourism, Comhaltas Ceolteoirí Eireann, The Wexford Garden Trail, Tidy Towns, and many environmental and social justice campaigns over the years. Her work was exhibited in many craft shows in Ireland, many times at Showcase, several showings at Wexford Opera Festival, and in individual galleries in Ireland and just recently, in Wales
The latest development in her craft, was the ‘Siochán Silks’ range, where she was exploring methods of making ecologically-friendly dyes from local plants, to beautiful effect. Each strand of her work evolved with her intense desire to learn. There was inventiveness in her use of colour, texture and imagery in Irish linen, silk-velvet, lace and felted wool.
Together with some of her fellow craftworkers, a new collective effort ‘ The Maker’s House’, opened a shared retail space in Wexford in 2018. So much was coming together for her, after years of hard graft. Indeed, Mairéad’s creativity and excellence as a designer was really sparkling at the time of her sudden death in March 2020.
Fortunately, she had seen the first year of what will be an annual event to honour her father’s legacy - ‘Éigse Peter Carberry’in April 2019. It touched her heart beyond words. She saw her father’s and mother’s contribution to Irish heritage and culture, honoured in a beautiful way, before she left the stage herself. For that we are so very grateful.
But now we honour Mairéad Cairbre herself, for her own creativity, generosity and artistic excellence. She is hugely missed by her sisters Kitty and Patricia, her brothers Noel and Peadar, and the extended family. Those of us who had the privilege of her friendship remember her ability to be as loyal and good to her family and friends as it is possible to be. She left the world better than she found it. She gave much more than she ever asked for herself, and her strong faith gave her a firm conviction that the spirit continues after this earthly life is done.
So in that light, we miss you Mairéad, and we always will… but for now, well done… guide us… inspire us… and shine on! Míle Buíochas.