MIKE O'NEILL: A Trinity College Dublin graduate, I worked in advertising in London and San Francisco before starting my own company to design, manufacture and sell Jimi products: a range of modern travel accessories made in the US from recycled materials. Jimi has received national design awards and was chosen by Forbes Magazine as a semi-finalist in their Boost Your Business Competition. Jimi has been heralded from the New York Times to CNN, Good Morning America to Wired magazine.

KELLY WILKINSON: My work as a pubic radio reporter can be heard on national programs including NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and PRI's Marketplace. On a particularly lucky assignment, I got to cover artisan Irish cheesemakers (and heavily sample their goods) for a piece in partnership with the BBC. In addition to journalism, I write a popular craft blog (makegrowgather.com), a craft column for The Washington Post, and have a craft book scheduled for release in Spring 2011 with Abrams/STC Craft publishers.

JOHANNA and CORNELIUS were Mike's grandparents, who lived in a small stone cottage on the West Coast of Ireland. Their history -- including shipwrecks, travel to far-flung places, and an eventual return home -- will be told here soon. In the meantime, we're off to find a collection of products that reflect Ireland's deep handicraft tradition. Products that tell an old, familiar story in a new way.

Wish us luck!