Tag: Donegal Yarns

Recap: Galway Wool Co-op Art Exhibition in Athenry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Invitation to the Meitheal

On Saturday, the 20th of July, 2024, the exhibition “Land to the Hand” celebrated the rich heritage of native Irish Galway Wool at the annual Meitheal in the Athenry Co-operative Livestock Market. It was the fourth yearly Meitheal organised by the Galway Wool Co-op, a voluntary group of people raising the native breed of Galway Sheep. Blátnaid Gallagher is the group’s secretary and excellent ambassador.

Blátnaid Gallagher opening the Meitheal at the Athenry Co-operative Livestock Mart.

The Exhibition

At last year’s Meitheal, artist and curator Michelle Hickey Legge brought together the works of sixteen artists. This year, Michelle had twice as many artists involved: 32 participants contributed pieces that showcased outstanding handwoven textiles, intricate knitwear, creative crochet, impressive feltmaking, and contemporary wool art – all made from Irish-raised Galway Wool. The event highlighted the craftsmanship of some of Ireland’s top makers, educators, and innovators.

The Wool

While the exhibition was going on, the cooperative’s farmers brought their yields of Galway wool into the Meitheal. According to the Tuam Herald, 5,000 kg of wool were delivered, and farmers were guaranteed €2.50 per kg for their wool.

  • The Clip
  • Galway Wool Sheep

More Delights

Additionally, the Meitheal had a traditional Irish music session and a sheep shearing demonstration in the background, along with coffee, tea, and biscuits.

Visitors admired the skilful blending of ancient techniques with modern designs, which reflected Ireland’s cultural tapestry. The interactive workshop on wool spinning with Sandra King of Irish Fibre Crafters, drew enthusiastic participation, fostering a deeper appreciation for sustainable practices.

Sandra King of Irish Fibre Crafters – seated by her spinning wheel.

Sponsors and Judges

Thanks to the sponsors and judges: Chris Weiniger of Donegal Yarns, Andy Legge of Aviation Graphix, Niamh O’Connell of Niamh O’Connell Design, and Vincent Huges of Aran Woollen Mills.

Awards

Congratulations to all the artists who exhibited their outstanding works. Special congratulations to Lorna McCormack from Wool in School for being the Overall Winner of the Show for her educational concept; this award was sponsored by Donegal Yarns.

Woolin School product

Claire McGovern from Rhyme Studio was awarded for her contemporary rugs; this award was sponsored by Aviation Graphix. For her contemporary works, Karena Ryan was awarded by the Galway Wool Co-op. Karena is a member of Feltmakers Ireland! Additionally, Jean Long was awarded for her Geansaí Chléire, also sponsored by the Galway Wool Co-op. Lastly, Evin Higgins of Caoirigh Farms was given the Industry Award for Innovation, sponsored by Vincent Hughes from the Aran Woollen Mills.

Caoirigh Farm’s entry

Thanks

Thank you to all of the farmers, artists, and supporters. Lastly, the warmest thanks go to Michelle Hickey Legge for her tireless efforts in curating and organising the exhibition.

  • Michell Hickey Legge – and camera men
  • Michelle Hickey Legge’s piece for the exhibition

Feltmakers Ireland Members

Several members from Feltmakers Ireland were in attendance and/or had pieces at the exhibition: Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, Juliane Gorman, Karena Ryan, Margaret Collins Ryan, and Tamzen Lundy.

  • Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann – @bombyxmoriwearableart
  • Juliane Gorman – @felthappiness
  • Karena Ryan – @karenaryantextiles
  • Margaret Ryan Collins
  • Tamzen Lundy’s piece – @tamzenlundydesigns

More Artwork from the Meitheal

This is only a sampling of the work at the show, which ranged from the functional to the artistic. We are sorry that we may have omitted some of the artists’ contributions to the Meitheal.

  • Collaboration between dyer Malu Colorin and weaver Aideen Macken – @malu_colorin and @aideen.macken
  • Fiona McDonagh – @Lamhclinicgalway
  • Olga Profutkina – @olgakina_dolls
  • Rhyme Studio rugs – @rhymestudioart
  • Sarah Kineen’s piece – @lifeinajamjar
  • Ellen Keohane’s Leaving Certificate course artwork
  • Catherine O’Connor – @bofinweaves
  • Annie O’Toole – @knitaran13
  • Christine McNamara – @christines_craft
  • Annie Gambril – @killala.woolcraft
  • Students’ work
  • Ryan Koenig – @ryankoenigstudio
  • Niamh O’Connell – winner of last year’s Meitheal and exhibitor and judge at this year’s.

Coming Up

A television program on the Galway Wool Coop will be on Nationwide sometime this autumn!

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: Showcase Wool Talks with Links to Videos

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

At Showcase 2024 in January, the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC) presented a series of three panels about the past, present, and future of Irish wool. Presented by Rebecca Marsden
Designer, Materials Researcher & Educator The Wool Hub and Forge Design Factory.

Day One

The first panel covered ‘Wool Chronicles: Heritage & Horizon’ and included –

A recorded video of this first talk can be found on Showcase Ireland’s YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN0d3W2c6sc

Produces made from wool. The square on the easel is a type of bio tile created by Ulster University.
Organic farmer Fergal Byne, with yarn created from his sheep by Donegal Yarns.

Day Two

On the second day, the theme of the panel was ‘Wool Yarns; From Ewe to SKU’ and included –

A recorded video of this talk can be found here on Showcase Ireland’s YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ0zbaOyf1k

Donegal Yarns which uses a blend of Irish-raised and imported fibres.

Day Three

The panel’s theme on the third day was ‘Wool Wonders; Different Strands of Innovation’ –

A recording from this day can be found here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=badXx22BpEo

Speaker Ngaire Takano is investigating alternative methods of scouring wool.
A second slide shows an improved flow for scouring.
Dr Tim Yeomans (in the blue shirt) shared about technical advances that could be applied to wool.

Feltmakers Ireland guild member Annika Berglund shared our book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ with the audience.

Annika and The Book.

Lastly, as part of the annual Showcase awards, the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland awarded the knitwear company Ériu, which focuses on using sustainable and circular Irish-raised wool, as the ‘Overall Winner’.

Ériu awarded DCCI Overal Winner of Showcase 2024

Exhibition and Education: Exhibition of Architectural Drawings and 3 Felting Workshops

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

A close look at revitalising church buildings as part of Architecture at the Edge 2023; an exhibition of drawings & series of felting workshops.

This exhibition presents a study of St. John’s ‘Church on the Hill‘ in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, through survey work, mapping, and archival material, alongside exploratory drawings of church repurposing projects in Flanders, Belgium.

Additionally, as a form of church revitalisation, a series of wool-felting workshops will take place, where up to 20 participants will be guided through the process of wet-felting a large-scale textile artwork together to be displayed within the church as part of the exhibition.

No previous experience is needed – the workshops are intended to be inclusive and convivial, bringing people together for conversation, storytelling, and exploring a shared vision for the future of St. John’s.

The project is led by Feltmakers Ireland member Beibhinn Delaney, in collaboration with Marie-Caroline Kawa and Lara Clifford, and is based on previous research supported by the Arts Council Agility Award 2022 and assisted Prof. Sven Sterken and Charlotte Ardui of KU Leuven, whose expertise is in adaptive reuse of Flemish churches.

Support kindly comes from the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway County Council, and Donegal Yarns, who have provided beautiful Irish wool, locally sourced from Galway sheep.

The exhibition runs from the 29th of September through the 8th of October. Open 12:00 – 17:00 PM.

There are three felting workshops on the following dates: Friday, the 29th of September, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, and Friday, the 7th of October. Each runs from 14:30 – 16:30 PM and needs to be booked.

For more information and to book the free workshops, visit the Architecture at the Edge (AATE) website – https://www.architectureattheedge.com/events-2023/faith-in-the-future

To learn more about church repurposing, read this interesting article by Beibhinn Delaney on Type, a website focussing on the design of the built environment. – https://www.type.ie/blog/this-is-my-church