Crowned the Overall Emerging Maker at this year’s Design & Crafts Council Ireland Future Maker Awards, Catreeney Harkin specialises in beautiful handmade jewellery inspired by the seasons, myths and everyday rituals.
A scholarship from Burberry to study at the Royal College of Art, inclusion in a showcase curated by the artistic direction of jewellery at Louis Vuitton and now, a Future Makers award from the Design & Crafts Council Ireland; one thing is clear, Catreeney Harkin’s star is only on the rise.
Originally from the Isle of Man, but now based in Donegal, she tells us more about her design journey, her ambitions for her brand Croí Meala and where she sees herself heading next.
Your path to jewellery wasn’t a straight line. Tell me about that journey and how it shaped Croí Meala.
I initially trained in textiles, then worked in fashion for two years. After slowly becoming disillusioned with the industry and the way it ran, I took a year out and moved to Melbourne. It’s such an incredible city, full of small independent makers just doing their own thing, and this inspired me to finally train in jewellery, which I’d always been drawn to. I applied to the Royal College of Art’s Jewellery & Metal Masters, where I was lucky enough to receive the Burberry Design Scholarship. However, during my time there, the pandemic hit, and I was forced to continue my work at home, with no equipment and very little traditional training. I began working with the earth and heritage techniques instead, which became the basis of Croí Meala.
‘Croí Meala’ translates as “heart of honey”. What does that phrase mean to you personally, and how does it show up in the values or processes behind the brand?
For me, the phrase is just really beautiful; the imagery, colour and spirit it evokes is just of love, sweetness and a real glow! It’s more of the essence of what I want to create with the brand, working naturally and with community, than about a specific process.
Your work is inspired by Irish mythology, seasons and ritual. Was this something you grew up immersed in, or is it a connection you found later as you started making?
Seasons and the ritual of them are a huge part of living in the Northern Hemisphere that I’ve always loved. I love the energy shifts from summer to autumn, the long summer nights and the winter fires, and I’ve honestly never been able to pick a favourite. I think it’s interesting to work with what’s available each season, whether that’s casting outdoors or patinating metal with seasonal plants. I’ve always had a love of storytelling; my dad would always tell me stories as a child, and I’m an avid reader, so it feels natural that it would inform my work.
Is there one myth in particular that keeps resurfacing in your collections or that feels like it’s at the heart of Croí Meala?
I love the myths that revolve around nature, whether that’s animals or the weather. In Manx there’s a phrase ‘lus yn eebyrtys’ which means ‘love in a mist’. It reminded me strongly of the Irish folklore of natural wonders that are portals to the otherworld of Tír na nÓg. I’m always drawn to these tales that show how magical the outside world is.
You work on a made-to-order model and are committed to using recycled metals and ethically sourced materials throughout your production chain. Why is that important to you?
Using recycled and ethically sourced materials is incredibly important to me. I don’t think I could justify making more in today’s world without being careful about where it came from. A made-to-order model helps sustainably but is also just sensible for a small business; it allows me flexibility to release products and see what works without investing in a large amount of stock.
Winning Overall Emerging Maker at the 2026 Future Maker Awards is a major milestone. What has the recognition meant to you and your brand?
It’s so amazing to have won the Overall Emerging Maker Award. I still can’t quite believe it! It’s such an honour, among such other amazing makers. It’s so encouraging to receive the recognition; it can be hard as a small brand these days to find the space to be seen, so it’s really lovely to know that the hard work was worth it. I think the Future Makers award will be really valuable in helping me take the brand forward to the next steps!
Speaking of which, where do you see Croí Meala heading next?
I’m going to continue to make jewellery and homeware, focusing on handmade and heritage skills. I am also planning to expand my materials into stone. I am about to go on a marble carving residency assisted by the Future Makers Travel and Training Award, to learn a unique skill which is dying out. I love the idea of creating a conversation between stone and metal.
While funding for Irish design has historically been low and hard to come by, prize funds like that offered by the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) through their Future Makers Awards, go a long way in supporting new talent to continue their creative endeavours. Covering a wide range of disciplines, it’s one of the largest prize-funded design and craft programmes in Europe, with each winner receiving a mentoring package valued at €1,000, in addition to the award itself. You can see more of Catreeney’s work on croimeala.com.
