2 days ago
Dublin silversmith 'overwhelmed' by support after robbery
A silversmith who had most of his products stolen in a burglary at his Dublin workshop in April has said he was "overwhelmed" by the support he received.
Séamus Gill, who is one of Ireland's most distinguished contemporary silversmiths, said that around 40 years of work had been put into some of the pieces taken, many of which were originals.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that while the theft had left him "devastated and depressed", he received a lot of public support while he was at a very low ebb.
"At that stage a lot of the people in the tutoring craft community knew about it and were in contact," he said.
"An awful lot of it was people who have my work going back over the last 40 years or so and with handmade jewellery, you get attached to a piece.
"But what I didn't realise was how strong the link was to the person who created the piece, and it was lovely.
"That overwhelming amount of support that came from so many people, especially through Instagram. And I still haven't got back to everyone yet."
Mr Gill said he has tidied up his studio and has returned to making pieces again.
"There's something very basic about when you're making work that it's very therapeutic. You're totally focused, yet you're lost in the flow. There's something very natural about creating," he said.
"So when I got back into making, I took a small piece of silver sheet that was left behind and I started using that just to start making and working on that.
"It developed a small little sculptural pendant and I called it Lasóg - las being the Irish for light or flame and óg being the young or little.
"I just thought Lasóg was just a lovely word for it like this."
Mr Gill said Stonechat Jewellers in the Westbury Mall have put the pendant on sale and will sell it commission free to help him get back on his feet and get the business going again.
The robbery at his studio is still under investigation and none of the missing pieces have yet been returned.
