With the long-awaited arrival of warmer weather and the first blossoms of spring, it's the perfect time to reflect on our own growth as a community and all the wonderful things we have achieved as a group since our inception. From the seeds of an idea, Umbrella Eile has proven what can be done when people come together and bring their skills and creativity to the fore. Last year our success shone through in the fantastic market we were so pleased to bring Galway at the Rowing Club each Sunday. It was a wonderful opportunity for our members to showcase their work, and yet one of our biggest achievements played out in the background in the supportive network we have built to help not only the group, but our individual members grow.
We took the time recently to ask some of our members what it has meant to be a part of the Umbrella Eile tribe.
Egle Useliene Naveckaite from Adventurous Stitches: “Umbrella Eile has given me the support and possibility to put myself directly in front of my customer, to showcase my crafts, to network and make connections with other businesspeople and crafters. The sense of belonging for me as a foreigner is another very important aspect that I receive from this community of like-minded people. Since joining Umbrella Eile I have started to see myself as a business owner and not just a hobbyist.”
Sandy Cuffe from Beadin’ Deadly: “Being a part of Umbrella Eile has been excellent. It’s such a lovely bunch of people, all so friendly and welcoming. It’s great to be involved in such a diverse group of like-minded people who are very supportive and encouraging about your work and business.”
Eithne Kenny from Black River Silver: "It's been brilliant to be a part of a community like Umbrella Eile. With power in numbers, it was not only fantastic to work together to bring a market to Galway, but has also been amazing personally to have so many artistic and creative people to bounce ideas off and problem solve."