Category: Wool

Education: Sheep Shearing Courses – Co Kerry – July 2027

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Promotional image for a Beginner Sheep Shearing Course at Robbie Hislop Shearing School, featuring a man smiling in front of sheep and a building, with details including dates (19 to 21 July 2027), location (County Kerry, Ireland), and information about free accommodation.
Promotional image for Robbie Hislop Shearing School featuring a shearer in action, with text about an Intermediate and Advanced Shearing Course taking place from 22 to 24 July 2027 in County Kerry, Ireland, including free accommodation.

Two sheep shearing courses offer students a few wonderful days of hands-on learning, traditional skills, and sheep shearing with Robbie Hislop and Anna Wolfe.

Whether you’re picking up the shears for the first time or looking to refine your technique, they have a course for you.

Choose your 3-day course:

Beginner Sheep Shearing Course
When: 19–21 July 2027

Intermediate & Advanced Sheep Shearing Course
When: 22–24 July 2027

Where: Curraghmore Farm, Curragh More, Blackvalley, Co. Kerry, V93 TR77

Come for the skills, stay for the scenery, and experience the craft of sheep shearing in one of Ireland’s most beautiful landscapes.

For more information, visit these links:

https://shearingschool.co.uk/product/beginner-sheep-shearing-course-county-kerry-ireland-19-21-july-2027/

https://shearingschool.co.uk/product/intermediate-advanced-sheep-shearing-course-county-kerry-22-24-july-2027/

The Shearing School website also offers other sheep shearing courses in other locations.

Their Instagram: @curraghmorefarm.ie @wolfpackdogsquad @robbie_hislop @wise_wool_project

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 shares Wet and Needle Felting at the Midlands Fibre Festival

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

By Mary O’Rourke

A busy indoor market scene with a large crowd of people browsing stalls filled with handmade goods and crafts. The venue features bright lighting and a modern design.
The Midlands Fibre Festival 2026
A busy crafting fair taking place indoors with numerous vendors displaying handmade goods. People are engaging in shopping and conversations, and a large screen in the background promotes social media support for the crafting community.
Another photo of the hall at the Radisson Blu Hotel

On Sunday the 11th of October 2026, five members of Feltmakers Ireland (Elizabeth, Eva, Deirdre, Elaine and myself) represented the Guild at Midlands Fibre Festival at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone.

Felting Demonstrations

We had a lovely, successful day and met lots of interesting people, all of whom expressed a huge interest in wool, felt, and feltmaking. We demonstrated both wet felting and needle felting on the day. People, as is usual when we demonstrate, were fascinated by the process and asked many questions, which were expertly answered by the team.

Two women at a crafting table, one smiling and working with wool, while the other is focused on shaping a felted pumpkin. The booth is decorated with colourful craft materials and displays.
Deirdre and Eva
A woman sits behind a table displaying handmade crafts, including felted bowls and framed artworks, at an exhibition. She is wearing glasses and a blue shirt, with a beige cardigan draped over her shoulders.
Mary at the table
Two women engaged in craft activities at a market stall, with one smiling and holding a felted item while the other prepares materials.
Elaine and Elizabeth
A woman demonstrating a craft activity at a stall, with two visitors attentively watching. The stall features various handmade items and decorations, and there are additional vendors visible in the background.
Elaine demonstrating
A woman creating crafts at a market stall, surrounded by handmade items including felted sculptures, colourful yarns, and decorative bowls. Another woman is seated in the background, observing the display.
Elizabeth’s work
Two women engaged in crafting activities at a market stall. One is working on a felting project, while the other rolls wool. Various handmade felt items, including colourful owls and decorations, are displayed on the table.
Deirdre and Eva
A woman crafting felted figurines at a craft fair table filled with colourful handmade items, including pumpkins, owls, and a whimsical puppet.
Eva’s Work – @feltedvision
A display of various handcrafted felted items, including whimsical figurines, pumpkins, and owls, arranged on a table at a craft fair.
Our display
A display table featuring handmade felt items, including a felt bowl and various small felt decorations. There are framed artwork pieces depicting landscapes and trees, alongside promotional materials and a schedule for upcoming workshops. A woman in a blue top is seen in the background, engaged in a crafting activity.
Elizabeth and Dee’s work

Needle Felting Workshop

We also ran a workshop where six ladies learned to needle-felt a flower brooch in just 90 minutes. They each completed their piece and took home a brooch they made themselves.

A woman wearing a striped blue sweater with a red felt flower pin is sitting at a table, looking down at her hands with a smile. A clear bag containing colourful materials is placed on the table in front of her.
A smiling woman with curly hair is sitting at a table, wearing a grey long-sleeved top with a vibrant felt flower brooch. She is in a setting with stalls in the background, indicating a market or fair.
A woman smiling while wearing a dark brown sweater adorned with a large pink flower brooch, sitting at a table with craft materials in the background.
A woman with glasses seated at a table, wearing a grey t-shirt adorned with a large pink and orange flower. She has long hair with beads and appears to be in a casual setting.
A smiling woman wearing a pink sweater with a felt flower brooch, seated at a table with strands of wool and a crafting tool.
A woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing glasses and a green and white striped top, sits at a table. She has a large purple felt flower pinned to her shirt and is looking to her right. A clear bag with purple craft materials is placed on the table in front of her.

Our Book

A scenic view of sheep grazing in a green field with mountains in the background, accompanied by various felted wool creations including bowls and decorative items.

Interest in our book “Exploring Irish Wool for Felt Making” was high, and several copies were sold.

Three people joined Feltmakers Ireland on the day, with several others expressing interest.

Thank you!

It was a great day, and we must thank Chad and Mary, the Midland Fibre Festival Organisers, and their team of volunteers, all of whom were lovely and very willing to help us in any way they could.

Next year’s Festival will be Sunday, 23 May, 2027, back in Athlone!

Exhibitor Display at the Festival

A display of fashion garments including a pink dress with gold stripes and a grey knitted sweater on mannequins. A grey dress with red accents is visible on a table alongside various artistic items.
Display of some of the Midlands Fibre Festival participants – includes Mary’s tunic (on the table) made with Lena Archbold and Dee and Eva’s pieces, along with fibre from guild member Katarina Hruskova of WoolstoreIE and pink tunic from guild member Karen Bowden of Fabulous Fibres.

The Instagram for the organisers: @midlandsfibrefestival

Volunteer Eva’s Instagram: @feltedvision


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.

Of Interest: EU CAP Network Focus Group – European Wool Report and 6 Mini Papers

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Close-up of sheep's faces with a focus on their features, accompanied by text discussing the EU CAP Network report on sustainable farming practices in the European wool value chain.

Via European Wool Exchange (EWE) Foundation’s Instagram:

“The final report of the EU CAP Network Focus Group, ‘Innovative and sustainable ways to strengthen the role of farmers in revitalising the European wool value chain ‘, is out.

Five strategic priorities run through the report: investment in infrastructure, stronger skills and training, a clearer identity for European wool through traceability and communication, support for innovation in both traditional and new applications, and stronger networking across Europe. Taken together, the findings show that European wool is still underused and undervalued, yet offers significant untapped opportunities for rural development, the circular bioeconomy, and resilient farming systems. Coordinated action is now needed to realise this potential in the future.”

There are also six so-called ‘Mini Papers’ (MP) to complement the report:

  • MP 1: A better market for European wool through certifications, traceability, and marketing tools
  • MP 2: Wool as an animal by-product: challenges and opportunities
  • MP 3: Wool improvement initiative: Collection, cooperation, and education
  • MP 4: European wool industry: history, current context, and future foundations
  • MP 5: Innovative uses of wool to support sheep farmers in the EU
  • MP 6: State of the art of the wool value chain in Europe

Here’s a link to the main report: https://eu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu/focus-groups-innovation-knowledge-exchange-and-eip-agri/focus-group-innovative-and-sustainable-ways-strengthen-role-farmers-revitalising-european-wool_en

The six Mini Papers are linked at the bottom of the above page.

Instagram: @ewe_foundation__


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: Free Webinar on Research, Innovation & the Future of Irish Wool – this Friday

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The Wool Hub for Research & Innovation has an upcoming webinar exploring how research, enterprise and collaboration can unlock new opportunities across the wool value chain.

Hosted by the Circular Bioeconomy Cluster at Munster Technological University, IRELAND, the webinar brings together researchers, businesses and other contributors working to increase the value, visibility and sustainable use of wool.

Through a series of short presentations, participants will hear about developments in nationally funded wool research and innovation; wool-focused research projects and resources; emerging activity within wool-based businesses and regional partnerships; lessons from the European Wool Day 2026 in Tralee; and international experience in developing more sustainable and resilient wool value chains.

The webinar marks the next phase in revitalising the Wool Hub for Research & Innovation, reconnecting people and organisations working across the wool value chain and identifying themes around which the Hub can support future knowledge exchange and collaboration.

The presentations will be followed by a short moderated discussion and audience Q&A, highlighting shared challenges, emerging opportunities and areas for further exploration.

This public event will be relevant to farmers, researchers, entrepreneurs, SMEs, designers, processors, policymakers and anyone interested in increasing the value and visibility of Irish-grown wool.

Feltmakers Ireland guild member, Katarina Hruskova of Woolstore Ireland, is one of the presenters.

When: Friday, the 11th of September at 10 AM (Irish time)

Register in advance: https://bit.ly/4yG1djZ

Instagram:  

@mtu_ie @cabr_centre @woolstoreireland @ulsteruni @hollandswolcollectief @ewe_foundation__

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: 450 km Wool March – from Texel NL to European Parliament in Brussels

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Shepherds and sheep flocks are an indispensable to biodiversity and the preservation of our natural landscapes. But they are often overlooked.

To raise awareness for shepherds and sheep flocks, a group of advocates has organised a 53-day Wool March, from Texel in the Netherlands to the European Parliament in Brussels. The March will be rally style:

“No sheep or shepherd <will> walk the entire route! We pass the hook from shepherd to shepherd, flock to flock creating a line of support for this ecological, cultural and social importance of this overlooked system”.

The walk starts on Saturday, the 22nd of August in Texel, Netherlands and arrives in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday the 13th of October 2026.

For more information, visit the Wool March website: https://www.woolmarch.com/

Their Instagram: @woolmarch @international_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 questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Of Interest: “Notes from Sheepland” – Film Screening in Tallaght – Co Dublin

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Thursday, the 30th of July, there will be a screening of the film Notes From Sheepland (2024), directed by Cara Holmes.

“Orla Barry is a hard-working, lipstick-wearing sheep farmer in rural Wexford. She is a self-confessed ovine addict. A decade in sheep, she’s still wondering what possessed her to start, but yet she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Orla lived in Brussels for 16 years and now lives and works in South East Ireland where she runs a flock of pedigree Lleyn sheep. Her work deals with the tensions of being an artist and an eco-farmer in rural Ireland. The sheep have slowed her art career but at the same time, caring for them has hugely inspired it. She escapes the studio by going to the sheep, escapes the sheep by hiding in her studio.

Notes From Sheepland follows Orla, an outlier, as she floats between these worlds. It reflects upon the primal, poetic and unpredictable bond she has with the natural world.

This screening forms part of Rua Red’s Learning and Engagement programme for Orla Barry’s exhibition The Collie, The Cheviot & the Crouched Skeleton, which runs from July 10th – September 26th in Rua Red Gallery.”

€3 per ticket, popcorn included.

When: Thursday, the 30th of July, 6-7:30 PM

Where: Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght, Dublin, D24 KV8N

To book a ticket, visit this website: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/ruarum-film-club-presents-notes-from-sheepland-tickets-1992510057218

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.

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Of Interest: Wool in the News – Peatland Restoration – Antrim Hills

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A new peatland restoration trial at Slievenanee Mountain in the Antrim Hills is exploring whether locally sourced wool can help restore damaged blanket bog.

The initiative, led by Ulster Wildlife and Ulster Farmers’ Union, working alongside Sustainable Rope Ltd, Ulster Wool and Ulster University, is the largest trial of its kind in Northern Ireland to date. There are 60 ‘logs’ made from scoured local wool.

The project involves installing 60 “wool logs” in areas of exposed and eroded blanket bog. Made from scoured fleece compacted into wool textile sacks, the logs are designed to slow water flow, trap sediment, and support the re-establishment of peat-forming vegetation such as sphagnum moss.

Wool, as a material, has already shown promising results in peatland trials elsewhere in the UK, particularly at upland sites in Scotland and northern England, where it has been used to stabilise eroding peat and retain moisture.

UFU Peatlands officer Stephanie Clokey said, “Wool is a natural, biodegradable material and is a logical solution for peatland management. Here we’re helping to rebuild damaged areas by using materials that work with the landscape, while supporting local farmers and adding value to something that has recently often been treated as a waste product rather than a resource, while creating new opportunities for what is often an underused by-product of farming.”

To learn more about the project, visit their website – https://www.ulsterwildlife.org/news/local-wool-put-test-innovative-peatland-restoration-trial

@ulsterwildlife

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.

Of Interest: Panel Discussion – The Future of Irish Wool: Heritage, Sustainability & Innovation – At Bloom on Saturday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Promotional banner for Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland's largest festival of gardening, food, and sustainable living, featuring event details and a focus on Irish wool heritage and sustainability.


This weekend, Irish sustainable fashion stylist and journalist, Roxanne Parker, will host two conversations about Irish textiles and fashion at the Sustainable Living Stage of Bord Bia Bloom 2026, in association with The Design and Craft Council of Ireland. Both events will explore the future of Irish textiles, heritage & endangered craft, and sustainability. 

Of particular interest to felters is Saturday’s event, “The Future of Irish Wool: Heritage, Sustainability & Innovation.”

This event will open with a fashion show celebrating Irish wool and Irish woven textiles, followed by a conversation on sustainability, heritage manufacturing, farming, fashion and textile innovation.

Joining Roxanne are the following:

When: Saturday, the 30th of May at 10:30 AM

Where: Sustainable Living Stage, at Bloom

On Sunday at 11:15 AM, there will be a fashion show and a panel discussion on linen.

Opening with a fashion show celebrating Irish linen and contemporary Irish linen design, followed by a discussion on weaving, endangered craft practices, sustainability and the evolving future of Irish linen.

Joining Roxanne are the following:

More information about events is on the Bord Bia Bloom website – https://www.bordbiabloom.com/whats-on/event-schedule/

Instagram: @roxanne_parker @dccireland @irish_grown_wool_council_ @bordbiabloom


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: 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.

Recap: Feltmakers Ireland at The European Wool Experience

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland3 Comments
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.