An affectionate portrait of Bernard 'Brandy' McManus - one of the last practitioners of the art of creel basket weaving - and the place he called home, the hamlet of Boho, in Fermanagh.

The creel, known in Irish as cliabh (pronounced cleeve), was at one time an everyday item in Northern Irish homes. It was used for carrying goods such as turf, or seaweed, or loads to and from market.

Presented by his son, Victor, this film explores Brandy's relationship with the the creel and with land that surrounded and inspired him.

The creel in Ireland took many forms, depending on what it carried and where in the country it was made. There were the common, rectangular creels, used as donkey panniers for the carrying of turf. Then there were back creels, which helped people to carry particularly heavy loads. There was even a variant of the back creel, the shoulder creel, which was designed for the transporting of loads across shorter distances and was easily emptied. Today, creel baskets are often used for storing firewood, or even adapted for use as bicycle baskets.

A Michael MacBroom film

Part of Britain on Film

Filmed, Edited and Directed by Michael MacBroom

Produced by Francis Jones  

Contributor: Victor McManus

Featuring archive footage digitised as part of Unlocking Film Heritage and courtesy of Victor McManus and Michael McGirr

• Britain on Film