Made in Munster: Art and craftmanship woven together in age-old tradition

North Cork basket-maker Diane Carton is optimistic that a growing interest in sustainability and climate change will help revive what was once a flourishing Irish craft, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

In her workshop at her home in Lyre, North Cork, Diane Carton is making a shopping basket. She talks through what she’s doing as she deftly weaves pre-soaked willow twigs in a pattern known as the three-rod wale.