This winter, the Crafts Council of Ireland is holding events at the National Craft Gallery, Castle Yard, Kilkenny and Limerick's Hunt Museum to encourage people to start collecting contemporary Irish craft.

Handmade limited edition or one-off crafts have immense appeal, says Pat McCarthy, whose Co Kilkenny studio specialises in design, trend and retail consultancy.

McCarthy is the design force behind a new initiative to help some of the country's leading crafts companies explore new directions. The first batch of products created as part of the venture were unveiled recently at Habitat, Dublin.

"The idea was to develop innovation in interiors and homeware as well as jewellery, " McCarthy says. Participants include Jerpoint Glass; Celtic Roots; Stephen Pearce Pottery; Noel Whelan Furniture; Nest Furniture;

The Wild Goose Studio, Kinsale; and potter Geoffrey Healy. All were were partnered with Irish and international experts.

"The project, which started in April 2005 and runs until April 2007, is breaking new ground in many ways. It's looking at developing a whole new commercial area for these medium to smaller-sized companies, " says McCarthy.

"For a lot of them, their designs would have been created within the business. The idea is that by having outside input they could think very differently about the design process, " he says.

Kieran Forde, managing director of Fordcraft, has been very brave in moving to a new area, McCarthy says. After working with designer Lorraine Brennan, the company has moved from doing sculptural work for museums, for which it has built up strong US business, into looking at outdoor planters for urban living, targeting the Irish and UK markets.

Another radical departure has seen Offaly enterprise Celtic Roots which specialised in bog oak sculptures for the corporate sector, switch to lighting. Brennan initially advised the company which created a lemon juicer under her tutelage, and now Peter Ting who works with Asprey London, is taking over.

The Wild Goose Studio in Kinsale also worked with Peter Ting, developing a prototype for an accessories collection including mirrors, frames, clocks and candleholders. The company, established in 1969, mainly served the tourist market with its bronze and iron wallhangings and Celtic crosses but was keen to devise a more contemporary look.

The new range, which features the same ceramic resin but with a silver leaf finish, will be launched at the trade fair Showcase in January. "We wanted to do more to make ourselves appealing and accessible to the domestic market, " says managing director Jamie McCarthy Fisher.

Jerpoint Glass Studio, Kilkenny, was matched with London design studio Triple D.

As a result, the Kilkenny company has re-examined the shapes, colours and styles of its glass. Jerpoint has introduced 'baggy' glass, vessels that are squashy and quirky.

"What we're trying to do is bring home the handmadeness in what we do, " says Kathleen Leadbetter, Jerpoint director. "So many of the big manufactures are coming in from all over the world and they're all saying what they do is handmade, and to a certain extent it's handblown.

However, it's made in a factory situation where everything is speed, " she says. "We make glass the way it was made when blowing iron was first introduced."

Geoffrey Healy has moved from traditional pottery into developing a new range of birds and animals. "Working with Triple D has allowed him to explore a level of creativity in a new and very humorous way, " McCarthy says.

In the case of Nest Furniture, involvement with consultant Orla Kelly and Triple D facilitated greater marketing know-how. "Nest had a very strong design statement and what it needed was more marketing expertise and guidance on where its design could be successful in the Irish context and internationally, " McCarthy says. "The programme is not just looking at design in isolation but also its impact on the marketplace.

The goal is to win these companies' new business."

McCarthy is confident that householders will be won over by the revamp. "While craft companies are re-examining what they're doing, bigger brands have become so widespread. People are looking for something that is individual and suitable for their lives.

Handmade and limited edition designs are going to be very big, " he says.

"The timing is very good.

We're going to see top retailers looking at this in a very different way and realising there are opportunities for them.

Crafts will move out of its traditional base of retailers into the broader market with a different customer base."

The Crafts Council of Ireland collectors' events will take place in Limerick from 16 November to 6 December and in Kilkenny from 24 November to 6 January.