Eco conscious firefighters pledge to plant a tree for every gift sold at Craft and Design Fair

Three eco-conscious Dublin firefighters who established their own ethical clothing brand will be planting a tree for every item they sell at Gifted Contemporary Craft and Design Fair which runs until Sunday at the RDS

Time spent surfing around the west coast of Ireland was the inspiration for their eco-friendly company Grown, which makes ethical organic clothing and plants an indigenous Irish tree for each piece they create.

And visitors to Gifted can also give a carbon offsetting native Irish tree as a Christmas present, with loved ones receiving a card stating the exact location where it is planted.

Home to over 500 stands packed with original gifts, this year’s event will feature a unique Sustainable Pop-Up of 40 of Ireland's finest eco-friendly brands and will attract an expected 45,000 visitors over five days.

Grown is the creation of firefighters Neil McCabe from Rush, who serves in North Strand, Stephen O’Reilly from Tallaght who serves in Dolphin’s Barn, and New Zealand native Damian Bligh who lives in Lucan and serves in Blanchardstown.

Neil developed the world’s first carbon-neutral fire station in Kilbarrack in 2012, the station reducing its energy spend by 80 per cent.

Designed and styled in Ireland, Grown’s range of men’s and women’s shirts, tops and hoodies are constructed from 100% organic cotton, hemp and recycled fibres and put through a rigorous process of sustainable auditing.

“We don’t use the usual business model of churning out a new clothing range every season – not only does it encourage needless consumption, but Ireland has so many seasons in one day that it makes sense to have layers that work all year,” said Stephen.

“We believe in making do with what you have, and if you need to buy a new item of clothing, buy good quality, carbon-neutral and Irish – which means you are buying local, better and less.

“We believe that clothing shouldn’t cost the earth. To date, we have planted over 4,000 native trees and will be planting one for each piece sold at Gifted.

“The trees, such as willow, alder, birch and rowan, are planted at Lackamore in Co Clare and will never be clear felled or sold for profit.

“We took our own eco-conscious spin on Black Friday this year, removing all items of clothing for sale from their website and replacing them with native Irish trees for purchase.”

Grown will also offer the option of purchasing the gift of an Irish tree at Gifted to give as a carbon-offsetting Christmas present, with purchasers receive a card stating the exact location of the tree.

“To make sure that the trees stand out at Gifted, they have their own stand. People who might not look twice at a clothing stall will still have the opportunity to offset their carbon footprint and give the gift of a native tree,” said Stephen.

Celebrating the best in contemporary Irish design and artisan food, Gifted at the RDS is home to over 500 stands packed with original gifts.

And for those in search of a green Christmas, this year sees Gifted devote two special areas to environmentally friendly products.

The Sustainable Pop-Up features 40 of Ireland's finest sustainable living brands and the Sustainable Edit, curated by journalist Jo Linehan, founder of The Futurist podcast, showcases 12 top ethical producers.

Traditionally heralding the start of the festive season in Dublin, Gifted also hosts the Spectacular Christmas Food Emporium with over 100 artisan food producers.

Gifted Contemporary Craft and Design Fair takes place at the RDS Main Hall from December 4-8 from 10am each day. Full details and booking can be found at

www.giftedfair.ie