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Claremorris, Ireland West
For almost two hundred years Higgins and Company have been based in the West of Ireland. Here lies the base for our Celtic design rugs, carpets and wall-hangings which are hand tufted using the finest natural wool. Claremorris, in Irish Clár Chlainne Mhuiris, means The Plain of Maurice Prendergast’s Clan. For a start the name is a misnomer. This part of South Mayo in the West of Ireland is a plain only in relation to the mountains that tower to the west.
Far from flat, it is a rolling place of drumlins, eskers, woods and lakes. Like its name, the town itself (pop 3,000) is somewhat contradictory. Roads and rail tracks seem to hurry away to all points of the wide earth, and yet there is easy welcome here. As natives we have been described as self-effacing, even shy, yet irrepressible in debate and fiercely competitive in sport. Our town boasts one of the biggest amateur drama binge’s in the land – yet lacks an acting troupe of its own. The church is the library. Main street is the shortest in town. The square is an irregular rhomb. And so on.
Those are quirks, but they hint at something about Claremorris – it tends to surprise, and is worth investigating. Behind the modest aspect, there are in fact countless points, places and people of interest. The history is eventful, sometimes violent, often poignant. The hand-made treasures based on the book of Kells and book of Durrow, reflect our interest in the ancient Celtic history of the surrounding countryside. Each Celtic rug has been hand-woven in the same way for generations. . . you might say the soundness and inspiration for his design has passed the test of time.