Tag: Irish Grown Wool Council

Of Interest: Bioeconomy Week Ireland – REVEIRE Irish Wool Research – Friday at Maynooth University

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
BioEconomy Ireland Week - Friday, the 17th of October

REVEIRE University College Cork (UCC), the three-year wool research project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, joins Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2025, for “The Circular Shift: Transforming Waste into a Bio-based Economy”.

The event will explore how research is transforming waste into bio-based value across Ireland, featuring EPA-funded projects tackling textile, wool, agri-food, and urban bio-waste.

REVEIRE will showcase their work on regenerative value systems for Irish-grown wool, contributing to a more circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

  • When: Friday, 17th October 2025
  • Time: 09:45 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Where: Maynooth University, Co Kildare.

The event is organised by Maynooth University and University College Cork, with support from the Circular Bioeconomy Cluster at Munster Technological University.

Free, but booking is required. Register for the event here: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/school-business/events/bioeconomy-ireland-week-2025-event

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: Donegal Tweed and Yarns – Innovation, Sustainability and Looking to the Future – Presented by IGWC

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Monday, the 20th of January, the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC) is hosting a panel discussion on how Donegal is taking its wool heritage into exciting new directions. From the quest for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for Donegal Tweed, to the growing demand for sustainable, innovative uses of Irish grown wool, discover how local businesses are blending tradition with forward-thinking ideas.

Time: 3:30PM – 4:15PM

For more information, visit their website – https://irishgrownwoolcouncil.com/irish-grown-wool-council-panel-talk-at-showcase-2025/

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.

Event: Wonders of Wool – Irish Design Week – Limerick

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From luxury fashion to technical composites, wool fibre has a wide range of applications. Join ‘Wonders of Wool’ for this Irish Design Week event and discover more about the wonders of wool. This event will be hosted by Limerick School of Art and Design, with artists and designers presenting their current projects, including;

There will be an opportunity to get involved in a BIG KNIT and a weaving workshop, which will welcome participation from attendees.

This workshop/open studio event follows on from the ‘Wonderful Wool’ event at the University of Ulster, which had over 120 attendees.

Join us to talk to makers, creators and presenters from across the island of Ireland who are harnessing the wonders of wool!

Supported by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and the Irish Grown Wool Council.

Refreshments included.

To book, visit the ticket page on Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wonders-of-wool-design-week-2024-tickets-1046774429497

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.

Event: Irish Wool Events at Dingle Food Festival

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Several wool-related events are scheduled for this year’s Dingle Food Festival.

The Irish Grown Wool Council will participate in the Wool Marquee at the Dingle Food Festival this Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, Wool in School will share its ‘Feirm VR’, their agricultural virtual reality program that enables viewers to understand the importance of wool and shearing in relation to sustainable farming practices.

The virtual reality experience of ‘Future Tapestry‘ will also be shown. It is an artistic response to Irish wool production’s history, legacy, and contemporary currency, developed following a research period with sheep farmers who harvest wool. The work is directed and produced by artist John Conway, with a virtual reality experience by Nóho. It is structured around an ode written and performed by theatre maker Aisling Byrne – a verbatim text based on her engagement and conversations with Kildare Sheep Farmers.

On Saturday and Sunday, panel discussions will be at 2 PM.

For more information about the event, visit the festival’s website – https://www.dinglefood.com/

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.

Events: Wonderful Wool Talk and Panel – Belfast

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Step into the world of Wonderful Wool, where we will delve into the potential of Irish-grown wool as a sustainable natural material. Attendees can look forward to a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring keynote speakers from the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC). There will be a presentation and interactive seminar featuring craftspeople from across Ireland who champion the benefits of wool in various ways.

The keynote speakers are members of the Irish Grown Wool Council, a dedicated body that promotes Irish-grown wool both locally and globally. Be inspired by their insights and learn about the innovative efforts to advance the standard and create markets for Irish-grown wool.

There will be a networking lunch after the talks for attendees to engage with the panel and peers on all things wool. There will also be a maker’s demonstration and exhibit celebrating all things wool!

When: Friday, the 16th of August 2024, from 10 AM – 1:30 PM.
Where: Conor Lecture Theatre, Ulster University

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

  • Panel Discussion: Dive into the world of wool with keynote speakers from the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC).
  • Interactive Seminar: Engage with talented craftspeople from across Ireland.
  • Networking Lunch: Connect with our panel and fellow wool enthusiasts.
  • Maker’s Demonstration & Exhibit: Celebrate the beauty and versatility of wool.

PANELISTS:

  • Chris Weiniger, General Manager, @donegalyarns
  • Jayne Harkness-Bones, Wool Collection, Grading & Trading, Ulster Wool
  • Laura Perrem, Artistic Director & Club Manager, @stolenstitches
  • Alison Gault, Senior Lecturer & Researcher, Belfast School of Art, @ulsteruni

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate wool’s beauty and sustainability!

This event is part of August Craft Month.

To book your free ticket, visit Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wonderful-wool-tickets-927179507867

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: Wool in Ireland Updates

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Irish wool has been the subject of two news articles in recent weeks.

The Dáil recently deliberated on the potential of Ireland’s wool industry, recognizing the need to explore new markets for the product. Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), said: “In one sense, the world is our oyster when it comes to wool”.

To read the article, visit Agriland: https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/hackett-the-world-is-our-oyster-when-it-comes-to-wool/

Ten months following its establishment, the Irish Grown Wool Council convened its inaugural Annual General Meeting at the Athlone Springs Hotel on Friday, February 16th, 2024.

To see the re-elected and newly elected members and their working groups, visit the Irish Grown Wool Council’s website – https://irishgrownwoolcouncil.com/irish-grown-wool-council-agm-2024/

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

Event: Feltmaker Needed – Wool and Primary Producers’ Stand – Dingle Food Festival

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The Irish Grown Wool Council, established in April 2023, will be hosting a
marquee at the Dingle Food Festival this Saturday, the 30th and Sunday the 1st, in
association with local Primary Producer Farmers.

They would like a member of Feltmakers Ireland to demonstrate feltmaking to the Food Festival’s visitors. They will also be selling copies of the Guild’s recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’. {See the bottom of this post for contact details}.

The Irish Grown Wool Council’s VISION is:
“Bringing Wool stakeholders across the Island of Ireland together to realise the potential of wool as a natural, sustainable and versatile material, by building on its rich heritage, enhancing understanding and appreciation of the characteristics of Irish Grown Wool, facilitating collaboration in product/market research and ultimately applying innovative product solutions to address current challenges and create future opportunities.”

The Wool Council will have various displays on wool products ranging from beautiful textiles handcrafted by local artists, right through to Wool Insulation, which is made using waste wool as part of our circular bio-economy drive under our sustainability slogan – “Waste is a resource in the correct hands”.

MTU Tralee Circular Bio-Economy Southwest Cluster (Catriona Power) hosts the recently created, virtual Wool Research & Innovation Hub and will outline wool research being done by the R&I Hub.

The Dingle Hub, represented by Dinny Galvin, will be doing a display and talk on how, if we had a Biodigester on the Dingle Peninsula or elsewhere in Kerry Irish wool could be scoured locally at scale. Wastewater from washing could be a valuable feedstock for the Biodigester. The UCC team investigating the use of wastewater from a mooted local scouring plant in a biodigester will also attend.

If you are in Dingle for the food festival, call in at the marquee to see our products and meet the makers. Stay for a discussion on how we may develop the wool industry and hopefully get farmers a better price for our wool.

The marquee (stall 56), is based in Orchard Lane, beside Jerry Kennedy Butchers.

For and on behalf of the Irish Grown Wool Council,

Pat Byrne – Chairman

To arrange to demonstrate feltmaking at the festival, email Pat – pat.byrne@theagileexecutive.ie