The Department of Environment, Climate, and Communications has released a draft consultation that the public can provide feedback on.
“The aim of this consultation is to seek views on a draft National Policy Statement and Roadmap on Circular Textiles. The document proposes the steps necessary for Ireland to achieve a circular economy in textiles.”
Submissions close: the 7th of July, 2025.
The draft Policy Statement and Roadmap, along with an executive summary, are available for download at the linked website below.
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Every year, during Dutch Design Week—the biggest design event in Northern Europe—the New Order of Fashion (NOOF) presents a new generation of the most forward-thinking textile and fashion talents. For the 2025 Dutch Design Week (18-26 October), they will focus on the theme of regeneration, exemplified by a deep dive into wool’s material, environmental, and cultural workings. They seek designers who work across themes like biodiversity, community, ecology, animal well-being, indigenous knowledge, decolonisation & more-than-human design.
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The Wise Wool Project will be at Discover Derrynane the weekend of the 7th through the 8th of June. Visit their table to learn about the current Irish wool dilemma and enjoy wet and needle felting with Irish wool.
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Neither of these articles is new, but it is interesting to see how scientists and students are researching ways to utilise and process Irish wool so that it does not continue to be a waste product.
Regenerative Value Systems for Irish Grown Wool in Ireland (REVEIRE) Funded
University College of Cork announced that researcher Dr Archishman Bose’s three-year project, Regenerative Value Systems for Irish Grown Wool in Ireland (REVEIRE), received funding of €657,403.
The project will conduct a comprehensive sustainability assessment of Irish-grown wool, including the value created by a scouring facility within Ireland.
“Irish wool, typically characterised as ‘strong wool’, can have wide applications in textiles, packaging, environmental, and high-value materials. This project, by undertaking a comprehensive sustainability assessment of Irish grown wool, will provide data and evidence to inform Government policies, initiatives and investments required for regenerating the Irish grown wool industry for a sustainable circular bioeconomy.”
In January, Transition Year students from Co Sligo were awarded for their research on how sheep wool can be used in the concrete industry as a strengthening material.
Typically, polypropylene is used to prevent cracks in concrete; however, the students discovered that concrete mixed with wool surpassed polypropylene in both durability and strength.
Their project was inspired by the students’ experiences of not being able to sell wool from their family farm. Aoife Fadian states, “It is selling at about 10c/kg, even if it’s selling at all. Farmers all around Ireland are really struggling with what to do with it.”
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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The inaugural Fashion & Farming Weekend unites the two worlds of fashion and farming to explore what we farm, wear and the earth we share.
Clothing is part of the fabric of life, and fashion is one of our primary sources of self-expression. Once inextricably linked, the farm-to-food-and-fabric cycle has been broken. The Fashion & Farming weekend will bring together creative minds, change makers and entrepreneurs where fresh ideas take root.
Galway Wool Co-op member Blátnaid Gallagher will speak on the 10th of May.
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The 5th European Wool Day will be celebrated on Sunday, the 6th of April, from 10 AM to 5 PM CEST at I Casali del Pino in Rome, Italy. The event will also be live-streamed on EWE’s YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@ewefoundation-europeanwool255
The event will feature presentations, demonstrations, and interactive workshops led by wool enthusiasts from across Europe. Attendees of all ages can explore various wool-related activities, including washing, dyeing, spinning, felting, crochet, weaving, and even painting with wool, while learning about best practices and creative techniques.
Feltmakers Ireland member Sharon Wells will be in Rome to present her experiences of recovering from trauma in her talk ‘Healing through Wool,’ at 11 AM. Additionally, she will facilitate a European landscape textile workshop to be created by representatives of EWE member countries.
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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Sandra Coote of Crafts of Ireland was recently featured in a video by Fibreshed Ireland and the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
On St Patrick’s Day, Fibreshed Ireland showcased their member Sandra Coote, founder of Crafts of Ireland. Sandra is also a member of our guild, Feltmakers Ireland!
Through her brand, Sandra is an avid promoter of Irish-grown fibre and works tirelessly to rekindle Ireland’s traditional crafts. She raises native Irish rare Roscommon sheep alongside Bluefaced Leicester sheep. She washes and processes their wool to produce needle felting kits. On her farm, she also grows and processes flax to spin into thread using traditional methods.
In the fall, she purchased a flatbed needle felting machine (the first imported into Ireland) to create prefelt using wool from her farm. There is a video of her unboxing the enormous machine on her Instagram account – https://www.instagram.com/p/DA1k_DYIOsn/
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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Siobhan Healy Ryan ‘Limestone footpath Mullaghmore-The Burren’
Sorry to post twice a day, but we wish to share many exciting events AND our upcoming exhibition!
The Open Call
Earlier in the year, our members were asked to share his or her inspiration to the theme ‘Symbols of Ireland’. We invited guild members to explore and interpret the rich cultural and historical imagery associated with Ireland. The theme was open to various representations, including traditional symbols, as well as more contemporary or personal expressions of Irish identity, landscape, folklore, and heritage. Artists were encouraged to present works that reflected their unique perspective on Ireland’s symbolic landscape through visual, conceptual, or abstract forms. Our open call welcomed all artistic styles and interpretations from our members.
Sneak Peek
One artist worked abstractly, while the other took a representational approach to capturing Ireland’s natural beauty. This evening, we are featuring Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann’s My View of Ireland and Siobhan Healy Ryan’s Limestone Footpath, Mullaghmore—The Burren. Both pieces explore elements of the Irish landscape, each through a unique lens.
Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann’s inspiration –
“I chose an abstract form to express my work, by using Galway Irish Wool and old Irish Linen pieces to show my impression of Ireland and its untouched nature!
The sky with its constant changes, light refraction from yellow to red-orange.
Moorland with its rich brown-black colours gradations interrupted by peat, rushes and flowers with “cotton blossom”,
Heather and broom brushes that blend into the landscape with their play of colours and stones that tell of their past, and touched my soul!
So, here I`m telling my story with sixteen tiles.”
Astrid’s work can be found in the following locations online:
“The Burren’s iconic limestone footpath is symbolic of Irish generations past and the weathering endured during the Ice Age. The majestic mountain at Mullaghmore stands proud over this rugged limestone landscape that continues to endure yet shift and evolve.” – Siobhan Healy Ryan
We will continue sharing our members’ inspiring contributions to our exhibition, ‘Symbols of Ireland’. Stay tuned!
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.
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‘Learning Old Tricks from Ancient Sheep’ is a one-day exhibition of two designers’ residencies with the Galway Wool Co-op.
Fabienne Rako and Annika Joachim invite you to their exhibition ‘Learning Old Tricks from Ancient Sheep’, which they are presenting in cooperation with the Galway Wool Co-Op. Together with Galway Wool, they aim to elaborate on the various applications in which all parts of the sheep’s wool can be properly utilised.
Within their two-week residency with the Co-op, they explored the potential of noil, a short fibre by-product of worsted spinning, to create unique, textured garments. Their work will showcase noil’s potential beyond waste, transforming it into high-quality, contemporary Irish textiles.
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 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.
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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