Homes across the city and beyond can own their own intricate sculptures of some of their favourite landmarks, thanks to one Derry man's business.
Ciaran Anderson has used his love of scale modelling and Irish history to create Mini Inish.
Each sculpture is created by hand and is therefore unique in its creation and Ciaran's creations have travelled across the globe as far as Brazil, Australia and the USA.
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For Ciaran, Mini Inish was the perfect platform to create sculptures of landmarks which he sees as often overlooked, such as the An Grianan fort.
He said: "I have a background in scale modelling, aircraft, vehicles, etc, and have always had a passionate interest in Irish history, from the recent to the Neolithic period. The history of Derry and Donegal is of particular interest to me and Mini Inish seems a perfect marriage of both passions.
"I had always felt that Donegal had been overlooked, in an archaeological context, where discourse concerning the history of the island occurred. Inishowen in particular is absolutely teeming with points of historical interest but always lost out in conversation to the big hitters like Giant’s Causeway and Newgrange.
"Mini Inish provides me with a platform to help raise awareness of the incredible lesser celebrated heritage in our own backyard. It’s my own personal way of shouting for the little guy!"
Since establishing Mini Inish in 2021, Ciaran has been surprised by how many personal stories and connections he has heard from customers.
Ciaran said: "It is the reaction from customers that has kept me so interested in creating. When I first started with an An Grianan sculpture I had a feeling it would be popular, due to literally everyone in Derry loving the fort, but I was completely caught off guard by the reasons people would share with me for wanting the pieces.
"In the past year I’ve heard some of the most touching, beautiful stories connected to the places I’m recreating in miniature. It makes it feel so special to me, it’s more than just a small independent business, it’s keeping memories alive for some people and creating new ones for others. I feel like the luckiest man in Ireland!"
Ciaran has taken incredible care in the creation of his Mini Inish sculptures and reflected on his journey since the beginning.
He said: "I was very fortunate in the beginning to have made contact with Nuala Campbell of the renowned Titanic FX in Belfast. She collaborated on the first range of silicone molds and advised on sculpting mediums and processes. I had zero experience or knowledge in this area, I owe Nuala a great debt and still seek advise to this day.
"I sculpt a ‘master’ from clay, then create a silicone cast to suit it. I create a mould of the master and then reproduce the piece in finecast plaster, giving the finished reproduction a highly authentic stone-like weight and feel. I then hand paint each piece and seal them with a high end clear coat. It’s very time consuming but also very gratifying when the end result is realised. Each piece is totally unique due to the nature of its creation."
As well as selling online, Mini Inish is also stocked in Little Acorns Bookstore, where is designs are proving incredibly popular.
Ciaran said: " Jenni Doherty, the proprietor, had faith in my work from the very start, she’s been a dream to work with. I had known her previous to Mini Inish and had always admired her tenacity and fierce pride in Independent operation, I couldn’t think of anyone on earth I’d rather be doing business with.
"When I’d mentioned to her that I was hoping to recreate these miniatures in the very beginning, she offered to sell them before even seeing them. It was that support that led me to stock exclusively at her Bookstore."
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