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I always had a great interest in the basket weaving work my father used to do when I was young. I was fascinated by the skills he had and and techniques he used and how he could work with his hands to create a wonderful looking basket using merely a handful of sally rods. At that time baskets were daily used on the farm, on the bog for gathering the turf and bringing it home, and also within the home, so basket weavers were very busy people. In the past every village would have its own basket weavers and they got orders from the locals for the different baskets required, such as creels and pardógs. He took great pride in his work and was one of the most gifted basket weavers in Achill at the time. He entered many competitions and often won trophies.
In the past basket weaving was a necessity - hard earned money could not be wasted on goods which could me homemade or made locally. Now basket weaving is seen as a creative pastime, and craft, and baskets are seen as objects of beauty rather than 'mere' useful objects. There can be great satisfaction now in making a basket with one's own hands and placing it in the middle of the table or on a shelf for all to see and admire!