On the 15th of November, Feltmakers Ireland was awarded the County Winner in the National Heritage Week Awards for the Dublin City Council local authority area. We now have a beautifully framed award to share.
Every year, the Heritage Council celebrates the work of communities and organisations that hosted National Heritage Week events, which kick off on the third weekend of August and run until the end of the following weekend. Feltmakers Ireland hosted two Open Days, where we shared the magic of wet felting with the public. One event was in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, and the other was in Inchicore, County Dublin, at the CIE Sports Hall and Social Club, where we typically hold our monthly Sunday Sessions. In addition to sharing how wool fibres transform into felt, we displayed felted wearables and artwork created by members. A second display area had information on Irish wool, how it can be used for feltmaking, and copies of our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’.
To see a photo-filled recap of our event in Dublin, visit here on our blog – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/08/22/recap-august-craft-open-day-felted-vessels-inchicore/
A video of our Open Day can be found on our social media:
The video is also on our YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/edUGtYr94_g
Thank you to the Heritage Council for recognising feltmaking as a cultural heritage. Additionally, we want to thank the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) for supporting our guild throughout the years.
We don’t know who kindly nominated our event for the County Dublin Award, but we are ever so appreciative! Go raibh míle maith agaibh, (which is ‘Thank you very much’ in Irish).
The Awards
In addition to County Awards, there are eight other categories:
- There is a category that relates to the theme of the year. The theme of 2024 was ‘Connections, Routes and Networks’
- Wild Child Event Award
- Water Heritage Award
- Inclusive Heritage Award
- Irish Language Award
- Sustainability and Climate Heritage Award
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Award
- Heritage Hero Award
To learn more about award categories, visit the Heritage Week website- https://www.heritageweek.ie/awards
Awards Ceremony
To watch a full video of the National Heritage Week 2024 Awards Ceremony, visit RTE’s YouTube page here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IziFzpG3ltM
To see a photo-filled recap of our other Open Day in Kilbeggan, visit here on our blog – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/09/04/recap-feltmakers-ireland-open-day-in-kilbeggan-co-westmeath-august-craft-month/
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Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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