Laura with her great-grandmother’s unique dresser features in folklore calendar 

A County Roscommon woman pictured with her great-grandmother’s dresser, which has a unique piece of history, features in the 2026 Irish Dresser and Folklore Calendar.

This calendar, part of the ongoing Irish Dresser Project by Michael Fortune/folklore.ie, has become a cherished tradition for fans of Irish heritage, storytelling, and the timeless beauty of the Irish dresser. The 2026 edition features 14 dressers from across Ireland, including one from the Loughglynn area.

The calendar features Laura Beirne-Geraghty from Castlerea/Ballintubber, standing beside her great-grandmother's dresser. Her great-grandmother, Hanoria O'Brien, had been 50 years deceased at the time the photo was taken earlier this year. 

The dresser is located in a time-untouched cottage in the townland of Moyne, Loughglynn. It has layers of paint, almost leather-like in appearance and features the unusual characteristic of just one drawer. It lacks shoulders or sledge feet but has plate laths and added cup hooks. 

Laura's father, Gerry Beirne and aunt, Helena Beirne, asked that she stand in beside the dresser, to help keep a connection to the past and their ancestors.

Over 100 folklore and calendar dates are included in the calendar, celebrating seasonal customs, ancient traditions, and Irish sayings — many with accompanying QR codes linking to audio and texts recorded by Michael over the decades.

The Irish Dresser Project is an ongoing body of research that Michael has been conducting around Ireland since 2015. 

He featured with Maura Derrane and Daithí O Sé on their RTÉ Today show on Friday afternoon with the Loughglynn dresser featuring prominently.

* Calendars can be ordered at www.thedresserproject.ie