Declan’s jewellery a gift for Obama

WE are all familiar with the annual trip of some Government representatives flying over to Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day to meet the President of the United States.

One of the gifts acting Taosieach Enda Kenny gave to President Barack Obama this year was a pair of cufflinks made by Northside jeweller Declan Killen.

Declan, originally from Clontarf and now living in Malahide, is an award-winning jeweller working from Fade Street, Dublin. 

Earlier this year, Declan was commissioned to design a range around the buttons from the 1916 military uniforms for a National Museum of Ireland collection.  

The pieces were made in both pendant and cufflinks designs, made only in sterling silver and hallmarked in Dublin Castle.

During the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Government selected a pair of cufflinks from the museum collection which was then presented to Barack Obama. 

The cufflinks were made by a casting process which were then hand finished and hand polished using traditional methods of silver and gold-smithing. Usually this process takes over an hour for each item. 

Declan agreed that it was one of the highlights of his career in the jewellery business.

“The museum rang me saying that they were taking a pair over to the White House for St Patrick’s Day and I believe Enda Kenny brought them over to President Obama,” he told Northside People. “It is just fantastic.”

There was much confusion as to the origins of the cufflinks, with many on social media platforms expressing concern that they were originals from a jacket worn by revolutionary leader Michael Collins.

This rumour was quashed although the cufflinks were made to match the design of the ones on a grey military jacket worn by Collins at Béal na Bláth in County Cork, the place where he was shot dead in an ambush during the Civil War. 

“The design is from a button of one of his (Collins’s) army uniforms that goes back to 1916 and they were made into a little range of cufflinks,” Declan explained. 

Declan has also made items of jewellery that have been given to other prominent figures such as Queen Elizabeth 11, Prince Phillip and U2.

In 2011, he was commissioned to design and make a unique brooch, based on the Newbridge spiral design, for Queen Elizabeth.

The brooch, which was made of sterling silver, was presented to the Queen at a State banquet in Dublin Castle during her official visit to Ireland.

“The following day, the Queen chose to wear the brooch at an event in the Convention Centre which the British Government were hosting,” said Declan, who has been in the jewellery business since 1967. 

“I have been doing it for a year or two alright but it (time) goes fast,” he said.  

“I started working at the age of 15 in Dermot O’Connor’s of Grafton Street and then moved to Wests Jewellers of Grafton Street.

“In 1970 I moved to Fade Street working for Patrick Flood and in 1985 I took over the Fade Street premises and started my own business there.”

Declan said these commissions were a great honour for him to work on. 

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to create these pieces,” he added.  

The next time you see the Queen or President Barack Obama, take a closer look, you might just see an item of jewellery made by Declan.

To find out more about Declan Killen, visit www.declankillen.com