Ann O’Brien, an artisan from Mountmellick, County Laois, Ireland, will be the speaker at the Irish Cultural Society meeting on March 14 at 8:00 p.m. in the Garden City Library, 60 Seventh Street, across the street from the Garden City Hotel. The meeting is open to the public.

Ann O’Brien is an expert in the unique type of embroidery called Mountmellick Work, which builds on a tradition and craft developed over 150 years ago. The embroidery is the only form of embroidery which can claim to be entirely Irish in its origin and design. The craft was developed in the 1830s to provide a source of income for local women affected by the decline of the weaving industry. Mountmellick Work is a dimensional white-on-white embroidery done in white knitting cotton on a heavy cotton satin jean. Motifs include a variety of natural floral designs, usually fairly large in scale. Pieces are often finished with button holed and fringed edges. Ms. O’Brien’s award-winning design “Out of Ashes,” which shows a Phoenix rising from the ashes of September 11, 2001, a portrayal of a contemporary event, marks a new era for Mountmellick Work.

Mountmellick Work will be on display in the Art Gallery in th lower level of the Garden City Library for the entire month of March. Those who attend the meeting on March 14 will have the rare opportunity to meet one of the creators of the beautiful embroidery hanging in the gallery.

President Martin Kelly will report on the progress of the Society's writing contest and remind the members of the Easter Monday Memorial Ceremony to be held in Mineola on April 7.