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.
Recap of the European Wool Experience at the Felting and Fiber Studio
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.
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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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:
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
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.
Join us for the European Wool Experience — a free public event celebrating wool, creativity and craftsmanship on Saturday, the 28th of March at the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry.
Feltmakers Ireland will be taking part in European Wool Experience 2026. If you’ve been hoping to pick up a copy of our book Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking, we will have copies available on the day.
Our volunteers will also be demonstrating feltmaking techniques, and visitors will have the opportunity to join a hands-on wet felting activity using Irish-raised wool from Ériu and WoolStore Ireland.
The wool used for these activities has been partially funded by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.
The European Wool Experience will be a unique day, where wool comes to life through hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, research displays and interactive experiences from makers, artists, educators and innovators across Ireland and 10+ European countries.
Whether you’re discovering wool for the first time, visiting with family and friends, or already passionate about fibre crafts, this is a wonderful opportunity to see traditional skills alongside contemporary practices — and experience the incredible versatility of this natural material.
Meet makers
Watch live 35+ demonstrations
Explore exhibitions and displays
Try wool crafts like felting, weaving, spinning and much more in a welcoming, relaxed environment
Drop in anytime — admission is completely free, and everyone is welcome!
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.
The European Wool Experience, a vibrant, free, family-friendly event, will be at the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee, on Saturday, 28 March 2026, from 10 AM–5 PM.
Celebrating Ireland’s hosting of ‘European Wool Day 2026’, this special public event, open to all, brings together exhibitors, makers and researchers from Ireland and more than 10 European countries, to connect and create a colourful, welcoming day of creativity, culture, and discovery.
Taking place at the start of the Easter school holidays, it’s an ideal day out for families, friends, individuals or organised groups looking for something creative and different.
Visitors can explore four rooms featuring over 35 demonstrations, exhibitions and interactive experiences, with plenty of opportunities to try wool crafts firsthand, including the following: wet felting, finger knitting, crios belt weaving, spinning, weaving, wool processing and more. Meet skilled makers, discover traditional and contemporary skills, view unique heritage displays, and enjoy a relaxed, hands-on atmosphere suitable for children and adults alike.
Throughout the day, volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland will demonstrate feltmaking, and we will also lead interactive wet felting activities.
In addition to the guild, several members will be sharing their artwork and fibres. These include the following:
The guild is grateful to have received some funding from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. This helped us purchase Irish-raised wool from Ériu and WoolstoreIE, which members could use in their pieces.
Drop in to the European Wool Experience for an hour or stay and explore at your own pace; admission is completely free.
Groups of 10 or more can book in advance via ewd@ewe.network (subject: Group Visit).
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.
On Saturday, the 28th of March, European Wool Day will take place at the Meadowlands Hotel in Tralee, Co Kerry. In conjunction with the Conference Talks, there is a full day of free interactive demos of woolcrafts from experts all over the country.
Volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland will be part of the Interactive Wool Crafts Room. We will demonstrate needlefelting and host hands-on felting circles for the public. The wool that we will use is Irish-raised and was purchased from Ériu and WoolstoreIE. We are grateful to have received some funding from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
In addition to Feltmakers Ireland, other individuals and groups will be part of the Interactive Wool Crafts room. The list includes several members of Feltmakers Ireland: Karen Bowden (Fabulous Fibres), Lucia Errity, and Emily Thompson.
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.
The Irish Grown Wool Council and Sharon Wells are excited to announce that Ireland has been selected as the host country for European Wool Day 2026!
Bringing together sheep farmers, designers, makers, researchers, crafters, educators, practitioners and those with a general interest in wool from across the island of Ireland and Europe to celebrate wool’s role in sustainability, circular economies and cultural heritage.
Co-hosts & Sponsor: Many thanks to the co-hosts, the European Wool Exchange Foundation, Circular Bioeconomy Cluster, Centre for Applied Bioscience Research (CABR), and sponsors, including FutureIslandIsland, and REVEIRE
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.
Join in celebrating wool, connection, and collaboration at #EWD26 in Co Tralee, Ireland.
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.
The Wise Wool Project will have its 2nd Annual Woolly Celebration at Kate Kearny’s Cottage on Saturday, the 8th of November.
They invite the community to come together with local fibre artists, sheep farmers, and others interested in finding solutions to the current wool waste dilemma.
Attendees will be welcomed for an afternoon of workshops, storytelling, demonstrations, and a panel discussion exploring the future of wool.
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Sharon Wells will be teaching a needle felting workshop for adults.
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.
The Festival of Botanical Colours is a textile event which includes workshops and demonstrations, including the following: indigo dyeing, land art, ink making, Fair Isle knitting, spinning, storytelling, block printing, solar dyeing, pigments, peg loom weaving and more
When: From Friday, the 24th, through Sunday, the 26th of October.
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.
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The Wise Wool Project and The Nature Hub invite the public to spend the afternoon outdoors, creating with wool. As part of the Wise Wool Project, this event combines creativity with wellbeing to highlight the value of Irish wool.
Held between Saturday, 4th – 11th October 2025, the Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest aims to raise awareness of the available supports and services in the county, as well as empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ through offering a dynamic and interactive programme of events.
When: The Workshop is on Tuesday, the 7th of October, 1-2:30 PM
Where: The Nature Hub at the Gap of Dunloe, Killarney, Co Kerry.
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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Join The Wise Wool Project for a fun and educational Family Day exploring one of Ireland’s most precious natural resources — wool — and the current dilemma it finds itself in.
Where: The Nature Hub Ireland at the Gap of Dunloe, Co Kerry.
When: Wednesday, the 13th of August| 11 AM – 1 PM
Get hands-on with the wool process
Try your skills at various stages, from fleece to fabric
Learn about sustainability and the wool waste issue
The Wise Wool Project is a Creative Ireland-funded project.
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.
