We hope you will enjoy our 'Wee Weekly ABC' guide to the wonderful selection of Art, Books and Crafts from Northern Ireland we are lucky to have on display in the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels.

Amazing Art:

Devenish piece by Deborah Toner

Belfast based designer Deborah Toner has a background in Architecture. She uses her architectural drawing skills to create beautiful embroidered pieces for the home. All of her work is machine stitched on locally woven Irish Linen. Originally inspired by buildings and landmarks of Belfast, Deborah began to draw a range of images, which she then machine embroidered to form her first collection. Deborah's work has expanded further to now include other cities, having embroidered maps and cityscapes from all around the world. She told us: "It was such an honour to be asked to make this piece to be displayed in the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels. It seems like such a bright, flexible and relaxing place to be and I am so pleased to be in the company of other great artists and work from Northern Ireland as well as the people who use the space." Deborah's striking collection of embroidered cushions, mounts, framed work and more can be purchased here.

Brilliant Book:

Queering the Green by Paul Maddern

A landmark anthology from The Lifeboat Press, Queering the Green brings together thirty-one poets who collectively demonstrate the vibrant multiplicity of queer experience in twenty-first century Ireland. Edited by Paul Maddern, who lives in County Down, this landmark anthology creates a space for the celebration of queer poets from or living on the island of Ireland. Featuring well-established poets alongside those at the beginning of their writing lives, this book is both a retrospective of the last two decades and a snapshot of the ongoing redefinition of Irish poetry. Broad in scope and showcasing the diversity of post-2000 Irish poetry, these varied and distinctive poems are essential reading for anyone interested in Irish writing today.

Paul told us: "Queering the Green has struck a chord within and beyond the Irish queer community and appreciation of the talent within its pages has exceeded our expectations. It is thrilling to know that these exciting LGBTQ+ Irish poets have reached and inspired readerships across Europe, Great Britain, Canada, America, and the Caribbean. It is an honour to be included in this display, and it is deeply appreciated." Buy your copy of this vibrant and essential anthology here.

Charming Craft:

Riddled Yellow Bowl by John McKeag

John McKeag is a potter from Lurgan, Count Armagh, whose practice combines the making of one-off pots alongside a range of tableware. With his one-off vessels he explores form, surface, colour and the space a pot occupies and contains. Specialising in making double walled pots that are wheel thrown and altered, he hones his pots through lengthy and controlled processes to produce simple, defined forms. John has combined this practice with teaching and has recently set up a new studio in the Mourne region of County Down. He told us: "I am so delighted and honoured that my work is on display at the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels. This piece is a wheel thrown double-walled bowl that is then perforated by hand.

I use a combination of glazes and engobes to build up the surface and the work can be fired multiple times to achieve the desired surface and colour." Discover more about John's colourful creations here.