O’REILLYS THE DESIGN SALE 26th - 29th October 2022

10 THE DES IGN SALE | Wednesday 26th – Fr iday 28th of October Hailing from Sweden, Marika Murnaghan was a well- loved par t of the Irish design world and made a large stamp on the country she called home. It is hard to imag- ine that back in the 1970s in Ire- land there was a hugely successful, pioneering jew- ellery company if you think of the disastrous economic situation in Ireland at that time. With thousands unemployed and many more having emigrated. It would not seem like the best time to open a jewellery business on paper. But that is just what Swedish born, Marika Murnaghan did. And she did it well, at the height of the business she had between 30 to 40 people working in her workshop based on Capel Street and later Bow Lane East under her business’ name Marika Jewellery. Producing the jewellery pieces needed to keep up the insatiable demand for her work. During its heyday she had shops in London, Cork, Dun Laoghaire, Capel Street, Dublin Airpor t, and the famous shop in Grafton Street. Marika has left a legacy behind her of enormous propor tions. Although, somewhat unheard of today, she was a remarkable silver/goldsmith, designer, and businesswoman. A true renaissance woman.With appearances on Gay Byrne’s the Late Late Show and often the subject of generous newspaper ar- ticles and the ‘who’s who about town’. She was a well-loved par t of the Irish design world and made a large stamp on the country she called home. Born in Sweden in the large inland city of Örebro as Ebba MarikaWallenstrom in 1940. She then went on to study jewellery design and silversmithing in the Craft and Design course at Konstfack, the ar t college in Stock- holm from 1963 to 1965.There is no doubt that being in Stockholm, such a modern, design focused city during such a pivotal time in her life shaped her design and helped to Behind the Ar tist: MARIKA MURNAGHAN (1940 - 1988)