Category: News

News: Feltmakers Ireland AGM – THIS Sunday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A family seated on grass, gently interacting with a lamb. The mother and daughter are smiling and petting the animal, while a man sits beside them. They are dressed in light knitwear, with a scenic landscape in the background.

Feltmakers Ireland will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) THIS Sunday, the 10th of May, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the CIE Sports and Social Hall in Inchicore, Dublin, D08 PA07

We’re delighted to welcome Zoë Daly of Èriu Farm for a special talk on sustainability, heritage, and the future of wool.

Zoë’s journey began with a gift from her grandmother Kitsy: a hand-knitted Merino baby blanket made for Zoë’s newborn daughter. She was struck by its softness, breathability, and comfort, and began asking why a country so rich in sheep farming was not producing beautiful Irish wool products of its own. That question led her to research the decline of Ireland’s wool industry and ultimately to found Èriu.

Today, through Èriu Farm, Zoë and her husband Lionel Mackey champion natural fibres, biodiversity, fair value for farmers, and a fully traceable “Farm to Yarn” approach that reconnects land, craft, and community. Her talk will offer inspiring insights into how wool can play a key role in a more sustainable future.

Agenda

1 .    We will start promptly at 10:45 AM to facilitate our Guest Speaker Zoē Daly of Èriu Farm. 

2 .    Address by the Chair – Deirdre Carroll

3.     Address by the Secretary – Lorna Cady

4.     Treasurer’s Report – Samantha (Sam) Fagan

5.     Motions for AGM- No motions were put forward.

6.     Election of Chair and Committee 2026/2027. Election of other Officers will be held at the June Committee meeting

7.      A Bursary Draw for 250 euros, open to all paid-up members, will take place at the AGM. To be used to partake in a Felting Course, and afterwards, a short recap article with photographs would be much appreciated.

8.      Members will have an opportunity to sell their work at the AGM. Methods of receiving payment, whether cash, credit card, Revolt, or PayPal transactions, will be the seller’s responsibility.

9.      Members will have an opportunity to display and discuss their work with other members. Members will need to bring props to display their items. We will provide 2 table coverings.

10.    Time for refreshments and chat.


Yums

Refreshments will follow. If you could bring a little something, home-baked or not, we’d be delighted.

We always appreciate goodies with our cuppa.

Share Your Work

Members are welcome to bring along a few pieces of their own work to display during the AGM. If you wish to sell or display your work, we will have two tables set up from 10 AM to facilitate the display of artwork and creations. (Please label your work clearly and securely, and please bring it home with you.)

Methods of receiving payment, whether cash, credit card, Revolt, or PayPal transactions, will be the seller’s responsibility.

Zoom Link

Members who cannot attend in person can use the Zoom link, which will be emailed beforehand on Friday, the 8th. This session will not be recorded.

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

News: Bursary Awarded to Hilary Delaney – Botanical Printing with Gabrielle Bishop at Mulranny Arts

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

At our 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), guild member Hilary Delaney‘s name was pulled from the hat for the annual bursary to study a textile course of her choice.

As part of the award, bursary recipients share their experiences with the guild via our blog. In the past, those who have shared articles about their educational experiences include: Adrienne Dempsey in 2024, Ramona Farrelly in 2023, and Doris Reinisch in 2021. Editor’s Note: There wasn’t a bursary award in 2022.

Below, Hilary shares her wonderful experience with the three-Day botanical printing workshop, ‘Nature’s Palette’ with Gabrielle Bishop at Mulranny Arts in County Mayo.

Poster for 'Nature's Palette' Contact/Eco Print Workshop with Gabrielle Bishop, May 1st, 2nd & 3rd 2026, featuring images of eco-printed fabric and various plant materials.
Poster advertising the workshop

By Hilary Delaney

I chose the botanical printing course because I was captivated by the colours, textures, and creation of possibilities that leaves and seaweed can bring to cloth and paper. Plants contain their own pigments and structures, and the process of transferring their colours and shapes using mordants and natural dyes really interests me.

Various green leaves arranged on a piece of paper for printing purposes.

As a horticulturist and hobby felter, I find this feels like a natural extension of my practice. Both felting and botanical printing rely on water, pressure, and time to transform raw material. I’m excited by the opportunities to combine them: printing onto silks and fine wools before nuno felting, embedding seaweed silhouettes into vessel forms, or using the subtle leaf shapes on bowls.

The course has opened up new ways for me to capture a sense of place and season in my work — not just through form, but through the actual pigments and patterns of the landscape.

Artistic print created using seaweed collected from local beaches, featuring abstract designs and natural textures.

Tutor Gabrielle Bishop’s ability to facilitate learning was excellent; she created a space where curiosity was encouraged. Her deep knowledge of plants, process, and colour was always present; she gave room for each student to find their own dialogue with the materials.

What stood out most was how she encouraged us to slow down and really see — the vein of a leaf, the way seaweed releases pigment, the shift in tone from steam to cloth. Her guidance was practical, with stories about foraging and folklore, which added interest to the learning process. 

A close-up of printed paper displaying various leaf patterns in natural earthy tones.

This weekend has given me the confidence to carry these techniques into my felting, with a sense of play, exploring different textures and colours.

Future projects I hope to explore based on what I learned in this course. This will include seaweed prints on silk and botanical printing at various times of the year, paired with Nunofelting.

Thank you to Feltmakers Ireland for the bursary.

Close-up of printed fabrics showing botanical patterns in earthy tones.

Hilary studied at Mulranny Arts, The Old Convent, Mallaranny, Co. Mayo, F28 F8N8

For information on Botanical Printing and other creative arts classes on offer, visit the Mulranny Arts website – https://www.mulrannyarts.com/classesworkshops

Their Instagram: @mulrannyarts @gabriellemarybishop

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Of Interest: World Hat Walk – THIS Sunday in Dublin

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Poster for the World Hat Walk event in Dublin, with details including the date (10th of May), time (2 PM), and location (Stephen's Green), featuring a bowler hat graphic.
Map illustrating the World Hat Walk event on 10 May 2026, featuring 100 cities across over 30 countries, marked with red icons.

On Sunday, the 10th of May, Dublin will once again tip its hat to one of the most charming international gatherings of the year.

The World Hat Walk returns for its third annual celebration, and this will be Dublin’s third year joining cities around the globe in taking part. What began as an idea in London has grown into a worldwide event, with more than 100 cities across over 30 countries preparing to step out in style.

The only requirement is simple: wear a hat.

It can be hand felted, sewn, inherited, borrowed, handmade, or bought that very morning. Grand or understated, dramatic or whimsical: every hat is welcome. The spirit of the day is simply to celebrate creativity, individuality, and the quiet delight of seeing a park full of people who decided that ‘naked heads’ would not do.

This year’s Dublin Hat Walk will also include a few friendly hat competitions, kindly judged by artist and illustrator Louise Boughton.

Categories:

  • Most Fun Hat
  • Most Elegant Hat
  • Most Irish Hat
  • Largest Hat
  • Smallest Hat
  • And perhaps a few surprise categories!

When: Sunday, the 10th of May

Where: Meet at Fusiliers’ Arch, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, D02 HX65 at 2 PM. At around 2:15, we will proceed to the centre of the park. Afterwards, if there is interest, we may gather at Peaches, located on the northeast corner of the park.

There is something wonderfully old-fashioned and unexpectedly joyful about a Hat Walk. It asks very little, but a stroll transforms an ordinary Sunday afternoon into something memorable. A hat becomes an invitation to conversation, to laughter, and to the kind of happy shared spectacle that we all could use a little bit more of in our lives.

For anyone curious about the global scale of the event, an interactive map of the participating cities can be found on the Hat Community website – https://www.hatcommunity.com/world-hat-walk-directory

The logistics of these various city walks have been gracefully organised by milliner Tatiana Ashakova of Beretkah – https://beretkah.co.uk/world-hat-walk

Some of the Instagrams associated with the event: @dublin_hat_walk_ie @worldhatwalk @hatcommunity.official @louiseboughton_


Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

News: Feltmakers Ireland AGM – 10th of May, 2026

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A family seated on grass, gently interacting with a lamb. The mother and daughter are smiling and petting the animal, while a man sits beside them. They are dressed in light knitwear, with a scenic landscape in the background.

Feltmakers Ireland will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, the 10th of May, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the CIE Sports and Social Hall in Inchicore, Dublin, D08 PA07

We’re delighted to welcome Zoë Daly of Èriu Farm for a special talk on sustainability, heritage, and the future of wool.

Zoë’s journey began with a gift from her grandmother Kitsy: a hand-knitted Merino baby blanket made for Zoë’s newborn daughter. She was struck by its softness, breathability, and comfort, and began asking why a country so rich in sheep farming was not producing beautiful Irish wool products of its own. That question led her to research the decline of Ireland’s wool industry and ultimately to found Èriu.

Today, through Èriu Farm, Zoë and her husband Lionel Mackey champion natural fibres, biodiversity, fair value for farmers, and a fully traceable “Farm to Yarn” approach that reconnects land, craft, and community. Her talk will offer inspiring insights into how wool can play a key role in a more sustainable future.

Agenda

1 .    We will start promptly at 10:45 AM to facilitate our Guest Speaker Zoē Daly of Èriu Farm. 

2 .    Address by the Chair – Deirdre Carroll

3.     Address by the Secretary – Lorna Cady

4.     Treasurer’s Report – Samantha (Sam) Fagan

5.     Motions for AGM- No motions were put forward.

6.     Election of Chair and Committee 2026/2027. Election of other Officers will be held at the June Committee meeting

7.      A Bursary Draw for 250 euros, open to all paid-up members, will take place at the AGM. To be used to partake in a Felting Course, and afterwards, a short recap article with photographs would be much appreciated.

8.      Members will have an opportunity to sell their work at the AGM. Methods of receiving payment, whether cash, credit card, Revolt, or PayPal transactions, will be the seller’s responsibility.

9.      Members will have an opportunity to display and discuss their work with other members. Members will need to bring props to display their items. We will provide 2 table coverings.

10.    Time for refreshments and chat.


Yums

Refreshments will follow. If you could bring a little something, home-baked or not, we’d be delighted.

We always appreciate goodies with our cuppa.

Share Your Work

Members are welcome to bring along a few pieces of their own work to display during the AGM. If you wish to sell or display your work, we will have two tables set up from 10 AM to facilitate the display of artwork and creations. (Please label your work clearly and securely, and please bring it home with you.)

Methods of receiving payment, whether cash, credit card, Revolt, or PayPal transactions, will be the seller’s responsibility.

Zoom Link

Members who cannot attend in person can use the Zoom link, which will be emailed beforehand on Friday, the 8th. This session will not be recorded.

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Of Interest: Recording of European Wool Day Conference & Felting and Fiber Studio Blog Post on European Wool Experience in Tralee

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Graphic promoting the 6th European Wool Day event in Tralee, Ireland, on 28th March 2026, featuring a sheep and logos of associated organisations.

Recording of European Wool Day

Each year, European Wool Day is celebrated on the 9th of April. The recording of this year’s Conference, which was held in Tralee, Co. Kerry, IRELAND, is now available to watch on YouTube.

Watch the recording here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCVmOKjmxuU&t=237s

Recap of the European Wool Experience at the Felting and Fiber Studio

Screenshot of a felt and fiber studio website, featuring a colourful display of felting materials and a section dedicated to the European Wool Exchange event, with images of sheep.

Simultaneously with the Conference, the European Wool Experience was held in Tralee. Feltmakers Ireland member Hélène Dooley was there to help the International Feltmakers Association (IFA) share about their felting courses and membership with the public.

She has written a richly informative and photo-filled blog post on many highlights of the European Wool Experience.

Read about it here – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2026/04/20/european-wool-exchange-ewe/

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Of Interest: Earth Day Celebration at UCD THIS Wednesday – Co Dublin

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A vibrant festival poster for Bealtaine, an event celebrating ecology and community on Earth Day 2026, featuring colourful illustrations, event details, and a whimsical artistic representation of nature.

Greenacre of University College Dublin (UCD), presents an Earth Day/Bealtaine event, an optimistic festival celebrating ecology and community, that is free and open to students and the public.

When: Wednesday, the 22nd of April
Time: 9 AM – 6 PM
Where: UCD Greenacre Sustainability Hub, Dublin, D04, which is located near the UCD GAA pitch. Some of the festival events are in other locations on the campus.

From 10 AM to 12 PM, Feltmakers Ireland guild member Dr Niki Collier will share ‘Textile and Technology for Saving the World‘. Includes an installation, weaving demonstrations, and a try-it-yourself section.

For more information and to reserve a ticket, see here – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/earth-daybealtaine-tickets-1986522623643

@bealtaine_ucd_greenacre

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Of Interest: European Crafts Alliance Annual Conference – Crafting Wellbeing – Online and In-person

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Poster for the ECA Annual Conference 2026 titled 'Crafting Wellbeing', featuring details about the event, including date, time, and location in Florence, Italy, and online.

The European Crafts Alliance (ECA) is holding its annual conference on Thursday, the 30th of April. In addition to being an in-person event in Florence, Italy, access to the conference is also available online.

Across Europe, craft is expanding beyond the workshop and into public health and community care. Co-organised by Artex and presented in collaboration with Firenze Fiera, during the 90th anniversary of the MIDA International Handicraft Exhibition in Florence, Italy, this year, the conference will explore how making actually works in clinical rehabilitation, mental health, and social inclusion. For the craft sector, these aren’t just social goals; they represent new professional pathways and a way to connect the workshop with the public health sector.

A central highlight of the programme is the premiere of the ECA’s foundational study on Crafting Health and Wellbeing. Alongside this vital data, attendees will hear from practitioners who are successfully integrating traditional crafts into professional recovery programmes, creating new pathways for makers.

Participation is free and open to the public.

Time: 9:30 AM (in person in Italy) & 9 AM IST (online)

For more information and to register, visit the ECA’s website – https://europeancraftsalliance.org/eca-annual-conference-2026-crafting-wellbeing/

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Recap: Feltmakers Ireland at The European Wool Experience

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland1 Comment
Two women and a child engaging in a crafting activity, using their hands to felt materials on a table covered with bubble wrap.
A group of people engaged in a crafting activity at a workshop, with several participants seated at a table working with materials, and others standing around observing and interacting.

On Saturday, the 28th of March, lots of lovely volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland travelled down to Tralee to the European Wool Experience, to share our love of feltmaking with visitors from all over Ireland and Europe.

We demonstrated wet felting using Irish-raised wool.

And our hands-on feltmaking workshops were very, very popular! As we were super busy, we didn’t take as many photographs as we might have done. (All around us were amazing displays that featured Irish Wool. To see some of these, look at the Instagram accounts of Sharon Wells and the Meadowlands Hotel:

Felted Artworks

In addtion to sharing feltmaking, we shared our artwork with a joint exhibition with the Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers, who kindly brought some of our work to Tralee on our behalf.

Here’s a brief video of our exhibition:

Appreciation to Everyone

A group of four individuals, two women speaking into a microphone while two others listen, at an event featuring artworks displayed on blue boards in the background.

HUGE thanks to the European Wool Exchange, Catherine Phibbs of the Irish Grown Wool Council, and most of all to Sharon Wells for inviting us to be part of the European Wool Experience. It was inspiring to be part of your vision and help to make it a reality!

(In the photo, from left to right are the organisers: Sharon Wells, Dóra Jamniczky-Kaszás of the European Wool Exchange (EWE), Catherine Phibbs of the Irish Grown Wool Council, and Alberto Costa of EWE.

Especially warm thanks to ALL of the members who helped us with this event. Huge appreciation to our members who embraced working with Irish wool and trusted us with their artwork. Lastly, thank you to the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, which, through their GANS Network Support Scheme, helped fund the Irish-raised wool we purchased from Ériu and Woolstore Ireland and distributed to our members.

Bit by bit, we are trying through our feltmaking to increase the use of locally grown, Irish wool!

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Awards: Open Call to the RDS Craft Awards – 2026

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Image promoting an open call for Craft Awards, featuring the RDS logo on a dark blue background.

Applications are open for the RDS Craft Awards 2026. It is a competition open to all craft makers living on the island of Ireland and Irish-born craft makers working overseas.  The work of emerging and established makers is judged separately, with specific prizes to support emerging craftspeople.

The Awards will be made from a total prize fund of €62,000.

The Emerging Maker category is open to individuals who aren’t necessarily recent graduates, and there is no age limit. Instead, there are these requirements:

  • Focus on heritage, skills, and sustainable practices.
  • Practice commenced within the past 10 years, with the determination to grow their craft at home and abroad.
  • Work must be made and sourced in Ireland.

Emerging Makers

• Exhibit at the National Museum of Ireland
• Showcase your work at the Gifted Contemporary Craft Fair
• Receive dedicated mentorship to grow your practice

Established Makers

• A major opportunity to exhibit at the National Museum of Ireland

There is also a Bursary for Lace.

The deadline for applying is the 13th of April. There is no fee to enter.

For more information and to apply, visit their website – https://www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/arts/craft-awards

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

News: Guild Member Dr Niki Collier Solo Exhibition – National Museum of Ethnography, Bulgaria

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A woman in a grey dress and hat sits in front of a large decorative backdrop featuring colourful, oversized butterfly wings. Behind her, a performer with wings in pink and white poses gracefully.

Recently, the artwork of Feltmakers Ireland guild member Dr Niki Collier has been featured in a solo show, ‘Symbols of Mobility’ in Bulgaria. It has ten installations, including the following: The Phoenix, Children of Lir, The Black Swan, and the newest bird joining the flock- the Flamingo. This travelling exhibition was launched at the National Museum of Ethnography in Sofia on Brigid’s Day, on the 2nd of February, by the Irish ambassador in Bulgaria, Her Excellency Catherine Bannon.

The exhibition has been visited by a record-breaking number of visitors, and there has been coverage on all major television stations: BTV, Nova, BNT, along with many radio stations: Horizon, Focus, BTA, and others.

Dr Collier also held a seminar at Shumen University on Brigid, alongside an exhibition of photographs of her installations. In addition, she led a few workshops at the National School of Applied Art, at the museum, and had an installation at a yarn shop.

There is a video of the exhibition launch on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1163154259226409

More information about the exhibition can be found on the Museum’s website – https://www.bas.bg/?p=62183&lang=en

Here’s a link about the exhibition on the artist’s website – https://www.nikicollier.com/solo-exhibition-ethnography-museum-of-bulgaria/

Her Instagram: @nikicollierfelt

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.