Leaders of the alpacas: The Irish farm making luxury artisan rugs

Home Editor Eve Kelliher finds out what it's like to create sustainable artisan rugs

Ceadogán was started by Denis Kenny and Fiona Gilboy.

It isn’t always easy being a new girl stepping into a long-established family firm.

However, since Claudia, Buttercup, Smokie, Buttons, and Cookie joined the team at this 35-year-old company, they’ve been quick to settle in — and business has been brisk.

The fab five are the first alpacas on the block at Ceadogán Rugmakers, Wexford.

Ceadogán was started by Denis Kenny and Fiona Gilboy.

“The alpacas have been such a wonderful addition, so gentle and curious, they would melt any heart,” says co-director Martina Navrátilová.

Establishing an alpaca farm means the luxury artisan rugmaker can produce its raw materials sustainably at the company’s studios in Bannow Bay.

Ceadogán was started by Denis Kenny and Fiona Gilboy and swiftly built up an international reputation for the quality of its hand-tufted rugs that combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.

In 2020, their son Colm Kenny and his Czech artist partner Martina Navrátilová took over the business.

When did they decide to introduce alpacas into the mix? “We began to plan this during the first [pandemic] lockdown,” says Martina.

Martina describes the past 12 months as “a very intense year”. “There was a lot of preparation for their arrival,” she says.

This month, Ceadogán unveiled its new collection which fuses luxury design with sustainability.

The business welcomed the five female alpacas “as a starting point”.

I’m curious about whether their new colleagues are high-maintenance. “They need some supplements to their diet and need to be handled with care, as they can get stressed very easily,” says Martina.

“Fencing a shelter was our main focus. Caring for them is relatively hassle-free. They are easy to handle and don’t test the fencing at all.

“Feet need trimming once a month and we monitor for pests.”

The alpaca farm and nature sanctuary, two years in the making, was funded with the support of 12 of Ireland’s most renowned visual artists — who agreed to design a one-off bespoke rug that was auctioned off last year.

In early 2022, co-directors Martina and Colm founded For the Birds, an ambitious regenerative project aimed at transitioning their business to become fully eco-friendly and sustainable.

To secure the necessary funding, the team sought the assistance of visual artists — including Sean Scully, Doherty Cross, and Gottfried Helnwein.

These artists created unique custom-designed rugs, which were successfully auctioned off, generating the funds needed for the project.

Half of the profits were donated to the Peter McVerry Trust.

“The charitable rug auction provided the seed funding to create an ecosystem that supports thriving wildlife,” says Martina. “We have introduced a herd of alpacas with three paddocks for rotational grazing.

“A large pond was constructed using water from the spring well, and various bird nesting boxes — including those for barn owls — were installed.

This month, Ceadogán unveiled its new collection which fuses luxury design with sustainability.

“Our focus extends beyond just achieving sustainability, we wanted to make a genuinely positive impact on the environment. It has all happened so fast, we’re excited to see what summer brings.”

The Sean Scully rug on its own fetched over €80,000 at the auction.

The first harvest from the alpaca farm has produced their latest range of rugs, cushions, and wall hangings and this month, Ceadogán unveiled its new collection which fuses luxury design with sustainability.

Named “Neadaithe”, meaning “nested” as Gaeilge, it includes handmade rugs, cushions, and wall hangings, priced from €240-€3250.

It is the inaugural line of products crafted from the un-dyed homegrown wool, following the two-year project to establish the alpaca farm.

Driven by a commitment to creating traceable homegrown materials, without compromising on luxury or quality, the Neadaithe collection features the first products utilising homegrown wool from the alpaca farm. “The initial wool clippings were gathered and processed to create natural, undyed yarns,” says Colm.

“On further development, a second set of Irish alpaca fleece was combined with fleece from the heritage Galway sheep, resulting in a blend that offers both the strength and durability of the sheep’s fleece along with the softness and luxury of the alpaca.

“This range is truly exceptional and also features a new line of deluxe cushions. The covers are crafted using Irish linen, filled with fleece, and adorned with tufts made from alpaca and Galway yarns, complete with buttons made from wind-fallen hornbeam.

This month, Ceadogán unveiled its new collection which fuses luxury design with sustainability.

Attention to detail is paramount for us, we want to make items that will be enjoyed for generations.”

Last autumn, Ceadogán collaborated with Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery when it was commissioned to complete a project inspired by artist Mainie Jellett.

Well-known for its bespoke modernist/art deco designs, the Wexford studio produced a rug based on the abstract artist’s designs for the gallery’s textile-based exhibition Following Threads.

Mainie Jellet was an iconic feminist figure in Irish art and a groundbreaking non-figurative Irish painter, who produced countless sketches for rugs specifically — some of which are owned by the Crawford Gallery.

The commission was “a new departure” and one that was “enjoyable, meditative, and engaging”, adds Martina.

“We have always enjoyed making rugs from our own Mainie Jellett collection, and it was a real honour to be entrusted with the interpretation of this piece for the Crawford Gallery. “We were very conscious from the start of the responsibility that this entailed, particularly with colour selection.”

• The Neadaithe collection is available to view on the company’s website or by appointment at the studios. See ceadogan.ie.