Irish-inspired basket making at MERA

Mar 11, 2015

Irish Ulster baskets were the focus at a special basket making workshop that took place at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners on March 7. Veteran basket maker, Maike Polano, who lives in Brooke Valley headed up the workshop where six enthusiastic participants learned how to make Irish Ulster potato baskets, shallow circular willow baskets that were used by potato farmers in Ireland to wash and strain potatoes and sometimes also used to serve cooked potatoes in.

Polano, who has been making baskets since 2009, began by showing the participants how to make the initial hoop or rim of the basket, onto which they then secured a number of ribs that were woven into place. Individual strands of willow were then woven through the ribs and the baskets quickly began to take shape.

Polano said that the tricky part of making these baskets is their tendency to want to take their own shape. “Keeping that in mind, you have to work hard to maintain the shape that you are after and you have to work with your hands to keep a nice tight weave, since the basket always wants to do its own thing.”

Many of the participants were first time basket makers and Polano said that she was very impressed with their abilities.

The willow used for these baskets was the last crop of willow harvested from MERA's famed willow labyrinth, which is now no more. Ankaret Dean, who was participating in the workshop, said the willow came from one “mad Irishman”, who 20 years ago brought one such basket to the area from Ireland. He then proceeded to take it apart and planted the willow. Some of the cuttings from his basket made their way into MERA's labyrinth, which makes these particular workshop baskets unique, with an authentic Irish/ MERA history all their own.

The Irish willow is a variety known as “salix purpurea”. It is particularly long and straight and Ankaret said it is the perfect willow to use for these types of baskets. She added that the original Irish willow that was planted in the MERA labyrinth could have easily cross-pollinated with other types of willow that were also planted there.

The MERA willow labyrinth was originally planted in 1999 as part of the MERA's millennium celebrations and was inaugurated at a big party soon after its planting. It was designed with four-foot-wide walkways so that a wheelchair could easily move through it but as the willows grew over the years, the pathways slowly closed in. For that reason and the fact that it had “had its day”, it was dismantled, making more space available for the regular farmers' market, which will start up again at MERA in May. Polano brought with her to the workshop a number of her own large finished baskets, which I have included in the photo. She sometimes sells her baskets at local shows in and around Perth. Asked if she will be planning another workshop anytime soon, she said that if she has enough material she would consider putting on another workshop at MERA.