Lobster pot

F:1979.23

This Lobster pot is unusual in that it was made from heather, a material not regularly used in basket making but more robust than hazel or willow. The Gliomaigh or Lobster was once considered the poor man’s chicken.

When it changed to being a luxury food is debated, but one account from Erris in Inishowen, Co Donegal, in the late 1930s, referred to it as ‘a very profitable business’.
To see a short film clip of this heather pot in the making make sure to visit the basket maker section in our exhibition galleries.