Inga arriving in Drogheda

SINCE arriving in Drogheda from her native Latvia, Inga Innes has certainly made her creative mark. ‘While I had a variety of jobs including sales agent, pharmaceutical advisor and shop work back home, I still did a lot of artistic work and I’ve continued to do that here too.’

Along with her husband and three children Emils (10), Alise (6) and one-year-old Paul, who was born here, Inga has settled in well to Irish culture.

‘I always wanted to travel when growing up and so made sure I worked hard at my studies, especially with learning languages, and now am happy that my own children take education as seriously as I do.

They are benefiting from a good standard of education in Ireland and as I myself was studying at DIFE until recently, they have a good role model!’

Inga finds that although her busy household keeps her occupied, having a working husband, two schoolchildren, a baby and her home to organise, she still has time to meet the demands she has met here for her artistic works.

‘I have always made and altered my own clothes, recently learnt how to fit tooth gems and have now begun creating fascinators too,’ she says.

‘I find this work not only demanding, but really rewarding too as the women of Drogheda are so stylish! I custom-make every fascinator (hat or hairpiece) and my clients have huge input into my work, as the local ladies have extremely high standards when it comes to fashion – just take a look down West Street any Saturday afternoon to prove that!’ she laughs!

On the rare occasion that this active family does get time to spend together, they like to drink in the local heritage.

‘ Whenever we have family or friends visiting, we enjoy sharing what we’ve learnt about Irish history and tradition,’ Inga says earnestly.

‘So we make sure we are well-informed ourselves. There are loads of great days out to be had locally, like the castle at Slane, the walls and Martello Tower in town as well as fun for all the family down at any of the beaches too. We love living here and are delighted to have made Drogheda our home.’
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