For this beautiful project, people who lost loved ones during the pandemic were invited to design glass leaves in their honour.
Glass artist Michelle O’Donnell of Glasshammer Studios in Rhode, Co. Offaly, invited local people who lost loved ones during the pandemic to come to her studio and make glass leaves in their memory. Michelle came up with the idea because she felt people were going through loss on their own. A group of 15 people from the area took part in the workshop. They met on a Sunday to make the leaves and on the following Sunday they returned to collect them and then hung them on their own Christmas trees.
Among the group was Margaret Burke, who came to remember her great friend Sylvia Burke, saying:
“She died during the Covid and it was very difficult. She was in hospital for three weeks and we weren’t allowed to visit her. It has had a terrible effect on all of us.”
