About Rosemary Kavanagh

Hello there!

My name is Rosemary, and I am the two hands behind Wild Rose Basketry. I have dedicated the past 15 to courting many ancient and heritage arts—beginning with making my first treasured basket at seventeen. Little did I know that moment would forever change me and the direction of my life. My life, in many ways, has been consumed with the ancient questions of ‘what makes us human?’ and ‘what makes us thrive in our humanity?’

There is an old idea that what makes us uniquely human is our ability to use our hands to Create—to transform a barren field into one of rich and vibrant fertility; to turn a tangled dirty fleece into a beautiful patterned jumper; to transform a pile of hedgerow sticks into a gorgeous basket.

My adult life has been dedicated to studying the ancient art of willow basketry, spending thousands of hours weaving away quietly in my workshop. I have also studied organic gardening, traditional bark tanning, leather craft, fibre arts (felting, knitting, spinning and natural dying), herbalism, animal husbandry, and working with hedgerow plants.

I have been blessed to have learned from a wide range of inspiring people who have tended much of this knowledge, humble masters of these great traditions. My primary teachers of basketry and ancient arts are: Margaret Matthewson (Oregon, USA), Joseph Hogan (Co. Galway) and Alison Fitzgerald (Co. Amargh). I have learned organic gardening from Paddy McCarthy (Co. Donegal) and herbalism from Jon Carlson and the Vitalist School of Herbology. I am also the creator of Le Chéile Journal—a printed journal rooted in soil, stories and our shared humanity. A publication greatly inspired by John Moriarty, Joseph Campbell and others.

I grow over 15 varieties of heritage basketry willow in West Limerick that I have collected from my teachers across Ireland. In the winter, you will find me in the sally garden harvesting the rods by hand with a traditional hook, singing my way through the cold, sorting the bundles by size in barrels, and tending the garden for the years to come. The rest of the year you will find me teaching in primary schools through the Heritage in Schools Program, TY courses for secondary school, and adult courses around the country. And of course, in my workshop, weaving many unique creations inspired by tradition.

Besides weaving and work—I love tending my home and garden, making nourishing meals, pursuing many of my curiosities through craft and writing, and being a mother to my beloved daughter Clíodhna. I am based near Bantry, West Cork.