It Looks Like St. Patrick’s Day Every Day at Mary Ann’s House

When her Irish eyes are smiling, it’s probably because she just won another item on eBay!

Mary Ann, an avid eBay user, Irish American, and collector of all things Irish became an eBay member in September 1998. Since then, she has added to her collections of Belleek china, Irish linens, postcards, and other Irish items.

"My greatest passion is collecting Belleek," she says. "The first thing I bought when I discovered eBay was a Belleek vase which I gave to my mom." Mary Ann has about 40 pieces of Belleek ... the Irish parian china that is best known for its shamrock pattern. She purchased ten of the pieces on eBay. "My grandma had a collection of Belleek, and she passed some of the pieces down to me," Mary Ann explained. "My mom also gave me some of her pieces, as did my aunts, so that’s how the collection of Belleek got started. My grandmother gave me a teapot in 1959 which was a ‘"second black’" ( a marking that dates the teapot from 1891 to 1926). I lost the teapot in a fire so I started looking to replace it. Fortunately, I found the exact same teapot on eBay in November of last year!"

Mary Ann, who is from Springfield, Illinois, says that she especially enjoys collecting anything that reminds her of her family or heritage. She fondly recalls one special eBay purchase: "I bought a Belleek ashtray from some people in California," she says. "We exchanged emails, and when they sent me the ashtray I mailed them a note that said, ‘All I need now is a cigar in it to remind me more of my grandpa.’ The woman I purchased the ashtray from replied back that my note was one of the nicest comments that she had ever heard, and she was so glad that I won the ashtray. She said it was one of her best eBay auctions because she felt certain that the item went to the right person."

Mary Ann says she’s also found lots of other wonderful Irish items on eBay. "Some Irish hankies, for example, remind me of my grandpa who used to carry them. The Irish hankies I’ve bought on eBay will eventually be given to my nieces when they get married. It’s a tradition in our culture ... when a daughter gets married she always carries an Irish hankie.

"I also picked up a shillelagh (a short walking stick). They are indigenous to the Irish culture. Some of the postcards I’ve won on eBay have been framed, and others have been sent to family members."

Mary Ann found some beautiful Irish table linens on eBay that she cherishes. "My grandma always dressed the table correctly on Sundays," she says. "I am not sure what happened to all of her linens. Some of the things that I’ve found on eBay remind me so much of her. Now I am able to dress the table as she did and it kinda makes me feel like grandma’s here. The linen is white, very thick, with Celtic images along the edges."

Irish crate labels, and other Celtic objects, many purchased on eBay, adorn her home. "Items are displayed throughout the entire house," she says. "You walk in the door and see the framed Irish postcards, then you see the shillelagh on another wall, and then I have some crate labels in the kitchen. When you walk into the house, it’s evident that an Irish American lives here."