A Cork schoolboy's cushion business is turning heads on social media.
Rory Hurley, 11, started sewing two years ago when he was given a present of a sewing machine.
The fifth-class pupil at Star of the Sea school makes envelope cushion covers with a pocket on the front for readers to place a book.
Every cushion comes with a 'word monster' toy to help younger readers with tricky words at bedtime.
Rory said: "I taught myself to sew after receiving a sewing machine as a birthday present. Sewing makes me happy. It's always fun.''
Sewing has surged in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many people dusting off their sewing machines or purchasing new ones to sew masks or to simply pass the time.
Rory's idea for reading cushions came about because he wanted to solve a problem for his sister, Aoife.
"My sister was constantly trying to put her book somewhere when she was done reading before going to bed. And I just thought 'why not make it so the cushion can carry the book rather than put it somewhere and the next day trying to find where the book was'," he explained.
Rory's mother Deirdre Hurley started posting his work on the 'Rory's Reading Cushions' Facebook page.
She said: "A few people had suggested that he posted on 'Shop in Ireland' Facebook page. So, I looked into how to do it. The response has been mind-blowing. He has gotten orders in from across Ireland, Toronto, Michigan, the Netherlands and Germany."
Rory, who gets "two to four orders every week", has big dreams for his fledgling business.
"I'm not 100% sure how my business started growing, but I'm happy there are people saying nice things about it.
"If it's possible, I hope to have my own company one day. I would have a few workers and pay them fairly. And if I can, I'll just have a part-time job that I can enjoy."
