Wishlist: The Irish fairy door company

Esther N McCarthy is away with the fairies this week — and has picked up a few other bits along her way.

Fairy fever was everywhere this summer — if you had to hang around with kids, you couldn’t turn around for fairy walks and fairy trails and fairies in the woods. Well you can bring some of the whimsy and magic into your own back garden for the autumn with your very own resident fairy. After you get your door and place it wherever you want in your house or the garden, log on to www.theirishfairydoorcompany.com  to register your door, leave the key next to the door and if it’s gone the next morning, you’ll know your fairy has taken up residence. €24.99 from lots of stockists around the country including Pinocchio in Cork city; Nest in Kenmare; Adare Manor Hotel, Limerick; Dingle Elf, Dingle; Art and Hobby stores all over Munster, and Bluebells in Midleton — see the website for more.

Is there anything nicer than brand new bed linen? A lovely way to freshen up the bedroom without spending a fortune. Ikea have this RODBINKA quilt cover with 4 pillow cases for €60 in their Dublin and Belfast stores. It’s Sateen-woven in lyocell which means it feels like silk without the pricetag. There’s a neat concealed pocket too that keep the quilt in place. http://www.ikea.com/ie

This piece by Joe Lawler has been inspired by the Irish famine chair. Furniture from this period, found in the homes of tenant farmers, was developed from salvaged materials using basic tools, resulting in irregular yet strikingly simple designs. In hindsight, says Lawler, chairs from this time evoke respect and empathy for the victims of this tragedy and his ‘famine chair’ is a beautiful tribute. The small storage area under the seat is a reference to the need for functionalism as opposed to luxury. This chair is made from flaming beech, from Cahir Castle and costs €2,250. It’s available through iamofireland.ie or you can find Joe Lawlor on Facebook.

This Louis Mulcahy teapot, €89.95 is a nice example of Irish craft promoted during the Kilkenny Irish Craft & Design Week. It runs in the Kilkenny Shops nationwide until tomorrow Oct 12 with a €20 voucher for all customers on any purchase over €70 made instore or online, until Oct 12. The voucher is valid until Oct 19.

Check out this Beveledge walnut and ash gold roundfaced clock, €220.00 from www.beveledge.ie

We love it already because it’s an Irish owned company; they are Wexford-based with Donal Murphy at the helm. They specialise in wood design and craftsmanship and they chose only sustainable sources which always gets a high-five from Wishlist.