Mhairi's relative, Celtic jeweller Iain MaCormick of Iona was the main apprentice of Alexander & Euphemia Ritchie. Iain has always been at the heart of our mission to honour the many skilled hands who have created Iona treasures before us.
As a young graduate artist, Mhairi moved from Glasgow to her ancestral island home on Iona, where Aosdàna began. Iain was absolutely delighted that Mhairi was returning to his beloved Iona, and that she might carry on the Iona jewellery legacy. With this purpose he gifted her most of his assets, including jewellery masters and sketchbooks full of Celtic designs.
Not long after beginning the collection designs, Maeve discovered a remarkably significant treasure in an antique store. She discovered a hand-made quaich with delicate interlaced hand-engraved Celtic waterbirds on both sides. Signed on the base in clear, clean, bright-cut engraved letters was 'Iain MacCormick, IONA'. A quaich is a traditional Scottish shallow bowl with two handles designed to drink from it. Maeve took this quaich with her to Iona and gifted it back to Mhairi. This seemed so magical and significant that this well-worn sharing cup had found its way back to Iona through our collaboration and friendship. This story, and Iain's engraved birds, inspired the waterbirds featured in the MEADOW OF THE LAPWINGS, and WONDERS OF COLUMBA collections. Celtic waterbirds represent a place between Earth and another world, much like Iona itself.
The natural beauty of Iona is all around - in birdsong, wind, water, rock, crag, meadow, shore, grass and wildflower. The Gaelic descriptions and place names of these are not often used on Iona today, as there is almost no Gaelic spoken on the island. However, Gaelic was the epicentre of life for the Ritchies and features on many of their artworks. This made it imperative to Mhairi and Maeve to continue the work of Aosdàna, bringing back the Gaelic and weaving our love of Gaelic art, culture and place into our work.
