How we check
Every maker tells us where their work is designed and made, and it only goes on their page once we trust it. Each maker gets one of three labels:
- Made in Ireland: made here, by the maker.
- Designed in Ireland: designed here, made somewhere else. The listing says where.
- Craft service: a skilled service done by hand here, like resoling your shoes.
What counts as made here
What matters is that the skilled part happens here. So "Made in Ireland" can still include:
- chocolate made here from imported cocoa;
- coffee, where the roasting or blending is skilled work done here;
- honey from Irish beekeepers, processed by the maker;
- prints, illustrations or embroidery done here on bought-in blanks, such as a tote bag.
The listing says where any imported or bought-in parts come from. Repacking, relabelling or bottling something bought in from abroad doesn't count. For spirits, we need to know where they were distilled.
What we look at
Before we list a maker, we double-check the details. We look at things like:
- a studio or workshop address;
- photos or video of the work being made;
- a maker's story that matches across their website and social accounts;
- a reverse image search on product photos, to see whether they're stock images;
- a check of product photo files for labels saying they were made with AI.
No single check proves anything on its own. We list a maker when the evidence together supports their statement, and we decline when it doesn't.
The products we show
Every product on a maker's page takes you straight to that product on their own site, and everything we show is made or designed in Ireland. Some makers sell other things in their shop too. We only vouch for what we show.
We ask makers to confirm that their photos show their real products. A background may have been edited, but not the product itself.
Makers who sell through Instagram or Facebook
Some makers have no online shop and take orders by message on Instagram or Facebook. We check them in the same way, and also check that their account shows a history of their work, that they've given us their name and a way to reach them besides messages, and that they sell their work as a business, so you keep your rights as a buyer. Where they don't post prices, their page says "Ask for price".
Shopping safely
When you buy from a maker by message, ask how to pay before you order. A card or PayPal payment is easier to get back than a bank transfer if something goes wrong. Message the account we link to rather than one you find by searching, because copies of real accounts are a common scam.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) explains your rights when you buy online, and how to spot a fake shop:
What we change in a listing
We crop, resize and tidy photo files, and we write the one-line summary of what a maker makes, plus a short description of each photo for people who use screen readers. We never alter what's in a photo, and we never reword a maker's statement without asking. Full details here.
Keeping it current
Things change, and shops close, so each listing shows the date we last checked it. We re-check every listing and its links regularly.
If something looks wrong
If something on a listing looks wrong, email us at [email protected]. We'll look into it and fix or remove the listing.