Walker Metalsmiths Blog

Embracing Shamrockery

Embracing Shamrockery
Master craftsman Stephen Walker shares his transformation from dismissing shamrocks as kitsch to embracing them as authentic symbols of Irish heritage. Discover the shamrock's journey from 1641 coins to famine-era emigration, and why it crosses cultural and sectarian divides as a true emblem of Irish identity. Continue reading

Celebrating St. Brigid's Day Traditions

Celebrating St. Brigid's Day Traditions
Discover the ancient Celtic tradition of St. Brigid's crosses, woven from grass and reeds to invoke Brigid's blessing on the home. Learn about the saint herself—one of Ireland's three patrons—and how Walker Metalsmiths honors her February 1st feast day with handcrafted jewelry designs. Continue reading

Celtic and Pictish Key Patterns; the other kind of Celtic design

Celtic and Pictish Key Patterns; the other kind of Celtic design
The Picts were a medieval society that inhabited northeast Scotland in the 3rd to 10th centuries. Their mysterious history has been difficult for scholars to understand due to a lack of surviving written records, but the Picts have left an enormous record carved in stone. The style of their monuments puts them firmly in the greater Celtic culture, showing artistic themes closely kin to the sculpture, metalwork, and manuscript art of the contemporary Irish.  Continue reading