Story
It all began in the rural town of Claremorris, County Mayo, Ireland.
The Higgins family is believed to have opened Ireland's Oldest Shop (passing from parent-to-child since 1820), Jeremiah Higgins. Located on the bustling Main Street, it transitioned from leather goods to textiles and tailoring before the turn of the century, bringing a legacy of craftsmanship and a keen eye for detail into the family. One-hundred more years in business brought new ideas; one even older than our shop.
The few artefacts left behind from the ancient Celtic people of Europe– mainly scripture and metalwork –tell of a society which valued creativity; the Tara Brooch, Ross Lunala and, notably for us, the Book of Kells. Their design philosophy is an ode to nature and a reflection of their understanding of the world which, two-thousand years later, we can only imagine what kind of world that was.
The Celtic Design Collection
Our original brand name and perhaps the best description of our goal, we have created a collection handmade wool area rugs which are inspired by manuscripts featured in the Book of Kells and Book of Durrow. Our goal is to pay homage to the history of the Celts, specifically in Ireland and Wales. We achieve this in two distinct ranges:
Eternity
Designed to be timeless and elegant for the modern home. Our eternity area rugs feature an iconic knotted gold border embossed on a solid-color carpet by hand. Each shade is carefully chosen to honour the colors seen in scripture while being compatible in your home.
Heritage
Many legends have sprouted from the Celts; they can be seen illustrated in manuscripts across the world. It was believed that animals had a connection with the fate in the ancient world; dogs as companions, snakes as a sign of curiosity. We have designed a collection to honour that heritage in blazing color.
Craftsmanship
Each one of our area rugs is composed of roughly eighty-percent wool and twenty-percent acrylic. This blend has proven to wear elegantly over time while being easy to maintain. As our products are one-of-a-kind, each has a unique reference number and a certificate of authenticity (available on request).
Intrigued? Discover our collection