The beautiful hand-made Christening gowns that are inspired by Ireland’s history and ancient Celtic past

We love supporting Irish businesses – especially ones run by Irish mums – and these days, more so than ever.

Right now, we have fallen head over heels for these magnificent Irish-designed Christening gowns, all hand-embroidered in Galway by Helen Marie Moore of Helen Marie Handmade Creations. And if you – or someone you know – have a Christening coming up, we bet you are going to love these as much as do. Created from the finest Dupion silk, each of the Christening gowns is embroidered with an intricate Celtic design, influenced by the gloriously rich and colourful history of Ireland’s ancient past. And here is the part we absolutely love: The gowns are available to order with a Celtic embroidery design that originates from your selected home county – or how about, perhaps, the county where your parents or other ancestors hailed from? Take a peek at the Cavan design below: Or how about the design from Louth: The design on the gowns are hand-embroidered on and takes its inspiration from Celtic designs from High Crosses and old Celtic Crosses in Abbeys and Monasteries throughout Ireland, each relevant to the country in which they originated from. "When I started sewing three years ago, I was actually just looking for materials online, and over time noticed how there was a gap in the market for unique Christening gowns," Moore explains to Herfamily.ie. "And that is how this all started. The Celtic design idea was sparked by my love of Ireland and our beautiful history. I also realise the importance of Irish heritage and home counties to Irish families, both here in Ireland and also abroad, and wanted to reflect that in my designs." Moore explains how she researched the origin and history of each county design from high crosses and old Celtic crosses in monasteries and abbeys across Ireland, and started making Christening gowns with designs for each of Ireland's 32 counties. Below is the beautiful Longford gown: "As well as the embroidered symbol on the gown, I also created a  scroll with the story of the design," Moore explains. "And this precious keepsake details the origin, history and story of the Celtic design embroidered on the christening gown." The designer admits she loves the idea of her dresses and scrolls becoming a family heirloom. "I love how each of these Irish Christening gowns and their story now resembles a piece of Irish history that can be passed down through generations." As well as the Christening gown and scroll detailing the history or symbolism of the county design, the gift set also comes complete with a matching bonnet for babies to wear on their Christening day. Moore says she has had much interest in her Christening gowns from Irish families living abroad, and also people who know they have ancestors from Ireland, and are keen to pass on their history and traditions to younger generations and new family members.