Tag: Sustainability

News: European Wool Experience –Less than 2 weeks away – Tralee

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Promotional poster for the European Wool Experience featuring various wool crafting activities, including handling wool, colourful yarn, and knitting.

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!

WHEN: Saturday, 28 March 2026 | 10 AM – 5 PM

WHERE: Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry, V92 DC83

Short Video

For more information: https://irishgrownwoolcouncil.com/free-fringe-ewd26-event-interactive-wool-demonstrations/ and https://ewe.network/ewd2026/

Groups of 10+ can book in advance via ewd@ewe.network (subject: Group Visit)

Note: The European Wool Day 2026 Conference, which runs parallel to this event, is a ticketed
event. Currently, the conference capacity has been reached, but one can apply to be on a ticket waiting list here – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/european-wool-day-2026-conference-ireland-tickets-1977521531133?aff=oddtdtcreator


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: Free Activities at European Wool Experience – Tralee

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Promotional poster for the European Wool Experience event, detailing activities like felting, spinning, weaving, and knitting, taking place on 28 March at Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee.
Promotional poster for the European Wool Experience event, featuring a cartoon sheep and various wool crafts such as felting, spinning, and knitting. Details include date, time, and location.

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:

Members of Feltmakers Ireland, the Irish Guild for Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers, and the International Feltmakers Association – Region 14, will host a joint exhibition of artwork created with Irish-raised wool.

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.

Where: Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry, V92DC83

When: Saturday, 28 March 2026, from 10 AM–5 PM

For more information, visit the Irish Grown Wool Council’s website: https://bit.ly/euwoolexp

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.

Of Interest: Wool in School – Climate Education for Children

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A smiling girl wearing a blue dress stands next to educational activity worksheets. The text promotes a free kids' workbook related to climate plans, highlighting that it is downloadable, printable, and shareable.

Wool in School has a licensing opportunity: a Climate-Resource Information Pack that artists, educators, or businesses can share online.

The pack is free to download, print, and share with customers, clients, staff, families, schools, and community partners. Included is a workbook and ten activity sheets.

Why this matters for fashion and textiles:

Materials and product lifecycles sit at the heart of fashion’s climate impact on Sustainable Development Goals. These include the following: fibre choices, durability, repair, reuse, waste, land and biodiversity.

Climate strategies succeed when people understand these links. Giving children (and the adults around them) practical tools is one of the most credible “beyond the value chain” actions a fashion or textile business can take.

From fibre production to product lifespan and end-of-life, textiles connect to:

  • carbon impacts,
     
  • circularity and waste reduction,
     
  • biodiversity and land stewardship,
     
  • consumer behaviour and repair culture.
     
  • Supporting education in this space is a credible way to strengthen one’s climate narrative.

For more information about the Climate-Resource Information Pack, visit the Wool in School website – https://woolinschool.com/businesses

Their Instagram: @woolinschool

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: Two Films about Irish Wool – Past and Future

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Wicklow Uplands Council logo at the top, followed by sections titled 'History of Irish Wool' and 'From Burden to Opportunity' with accompanying imagery related to wool production.

The Wicklow Uplands Council presents two videos about Irish Wool as part of a project funded by the Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grant 2025. The films were created by Bailey and Blake Productions.

Wicklow Uplands Council is an independent voluntary organisation representing a diverse membership of groups and individuals in the uplands region of County Wicklow.

The two films are the following:

For more information about what the Wicklow Uplands Council does, visit their website – https://wicklowuplands.ie/about-us/

Their Instagram: @wicklowuplands

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: European Wool Day in Tralee, Co Kerry – the 28th of March

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

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.


More information at https://lnkd.in/gYMQgRhe and https://ewe.network/ewd2026/

Register: Conference registration bookings at https://bit.ly/EWD26booking

Call for applications to present is open at www.ewe.network/ewd2026/

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.

Instagram: @irish_grown_wool_council_ @sharonwellsart @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.

Exhibition: Claudy Jongstra – Retrospective Solo Show – Netherlands

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Claudy Jongstra is renowned for her large-scale textile artworks and architectural installations that draw on her approach to working with locally raised fibres and dye plants.⁠ A retrospective solo exhibition, ‘Presence in Process – 30 Years of Art and Craft at Studio Claudy Jongstra’, will soon open.

The exhibition runs from the 18th of December 2025 to the 30th of August 2026.

Where: Cuypershuis Roermond, Pierre Cuypersstraat 1, 6041 XG Roermond, Netherlands

For more information about the exhibition, visit the museum’s website – https://cuypershuis.nl/te-zien/presence-in-process

To learn more about Claudy’s work, there is also a beautiful film here by the Louisiana Channel, a site that features videos about architects, artists, designers, musicians, and writers – https://channel.louisiana.dk/video/claudy-jongstra-weaving-the-world-together

Guild member Christine Jordan visited her studio earlier in the year – https://feltmakersireland.com/2025/11/04/of-interest-felting-adventures-in-the-netherlands-rough-circle-studio/

The artist’s Instagram: @claudyjongstra

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: Wool March in Tilburg, Netherlands – the 20th of December

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Saturday, the 20th of December at noon, there will be a Wool March in Tilburg, Netherlands.

The Wool March is a growing movement that supports shepherding and the revaluing of wool by literally walking together. Each year, the organisers lead a march in which local shepherds guide their flocks—along with members of the public—to and from pasture. Past editions have been held in Tilburg, The Netherlands, and have been generously hosted by the TextielMuseum, which is an inspiring destination in itself. https://www.textielmuseum.nl/

Participants and supporters of the Wool March come from all walks of life, including farmers, felters, and fashion designers, as well as politicians, breeders, and biologists.

There will also be a Wool March to the European Parliament in September 2026. The group is selling ‘Wool Activist Kits’ that include felting instructions and raw Kempische Heideschaap fibre from sheep that graze the Dutch coastal dunes. These kits are to create a blanket to be worn (or sent) to the Brussels Wool March – https://www.woolmarch.com/wool-activist-kit

For more information and to register for the Wool March in December, visit the Wool March website – https://www.woolmarch.com/lets-walk/wool-march-tilburg-2025

Their Instagram: @woolmarch


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: Restyle Cork – Sustainable Fashion Expo – Sunday, the 30th

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Restyle Cork will be the city’s first sustainable fashion expo, featuring Workshops, Panels, Fashion Show, Exhibitions, Demonstrations, Swap Shop, and Pop-ups.

ReStyle will be an all-day event that will incorporate the following:

  • Workshops
  • Demonstrations
  • Exhibitions
  • Clothes Swapping
  • Stalls/Vendors/Pop-Ups
  • Repair Cafe
  • Panel Discussions
  • A Fashion Show
  • Giving people the skills and inspiration they need to start being more conscious about sustainable fashion.

Bring clothes with you to repair, swap & upcycle.

When: Sunday, the 30th of November, 12 – 5 PM

Where: Cork College of FET Douglas Street Campus, Sawmill St, Ballintemple, Cork, T12 DW32

For more information and to book a place on the workshops, visit their Eventbrite page – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restyle-cork-tickets-1932675667949?

Their Instagram @restyle.cork

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: Fibreshed Ireland Syposium & Textile Market – This Friday & Saturday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Friday, the 21st of November, Fibreshed Ireland will gather at The Richmond Education and Event Centre, Smithfield, for their annual Symposium to hear from growers and practitioners who work in line with Soil-to-Soil principles of circularity, compostability, and agroecology.

Speakers

● Jennifer & Tristan Lienhard of @appleoakfibreworks
● Katarina Hruskova of @woolstoreireland (Katarina is a member of Feltmakers Ireland!)
● @kathykirwan_theartofnature of the Flax 405 project
● Mary Ann Williams, editor of the book @textilesofireland
● Michelle McCabe, researcher exploring the connections between textile craft and wellbeing with ATU Sligo
● @ryankoenigstudio — 16th-century experimental textile archaeology about the knitted Ballybunion wool cap
● Sarah Babiker — Threads of Story: Woolcraft a Language & Memory between Ireland and the Arab World

Textile Market

Saturday will be an Open Day of craft demonstrations, workshops, shopping opportunities, and community building at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. Admission to the demonstrations and shopping is free, but each workshop requires a ticket.

Feltmakers Ireland will demonstrate felting with Irish-raised wool!

Local fibres and textiles from a selection of Fibreshed Ireland members will be available: Included are two Feltmakers Ireland members –

  • Juliane Gorman of FeltHappiness will vend her Cyanotype-printed, Irish wool hats
  • Katarina Hruskova of WoolStore Ireland will vend locally raised wool that she has processed.

Workshops

● Upcycling workshop with Eimear Greaney (@upsew.ie), from 10 AM to 12:00 PM
● Aran knitting with @ryankoenigstudio, from 10 AM to 12:00 PM
● Weaving Circle with Lucy Hyland (@ourselfcarerevolution), from 1 to 3 PM
● Movement session for crafters with @aideen.macken, from 3:30 – 4:10 (FREE, with optional donations to support Fibreshed Ireland’s work)

Where: Dublin (different venues each day)

Optional social dinner in @fidelitydublin on Friday, the 22nd of November (book at checkout)

Discounts for students and Fibreshed Ireland members!

For more information and to reserve tickets, visit their website – https://fibreshedireland.ie/symposium-2025/

This event is part of Irish Design Week, & partly funded by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. https://www.dcci.ie/whats-on/irish-design-week-2025/

Event: Fibreshed Ireland Symposium 2025

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Friday, 21st November, Fibreshed Ireland will gather at The Richmond Education and Event Centre, Smithfield, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM to hear from a diverse range of growers and practitioners who work in line with Soil-to-Soil principles of circularity, compostability, and agroecology.

They are the following:

  • Jennifer & Tristan Lienhard of @appleoakfibreworks
  • Katarina Hruskova of @woolstoreireland (Katarina is a member of Feltmakers Ireland)
  • @kathykirwan_theartofnature of the Flax 405 project
  • Mary Ann Williams, editor of @textilesofireland
  • Michelle McCabe, researcher exploring the connections between textile craft and wellbeing with ATU Sligo
  • @ryankoenigstudio — 16th-century textile archaeology
  • Sarah Babiker — Threads of Story: Woolcraft a Language & Memory between Ireland and the Arab World

On Saturday, there will be an open day of craft demonstrations, workshops, shopping opportunities, and community building at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. Admission to the demonstrations and shopping is free, but each workshop will be ticketed.

  • Upcycling workshop with Eimear Greaney (@upsew.ie), from 10 AM to 12:00 PM
  • Aran knitting with @ryankoenigstudio, from 10 AM to 12:00 PM
  • Weaving Circle with Lucy Hyland (@ourselfcarerevolution), from 1 to 3 PM
  • Movement session for crafters with @aideen.macken, from 3:30 – 4:10 (FREE, with optional donations to support Fibreshed Ireland’s work)


Dublin (different venues each day)
Optional social dinner in @fidelitydublin on Friday, the 22nd of November (book at checkout)

Discounts for students and Fibreshed Ireland members!

For more information and to reserve tickets, visit their website – https://fibreshedireland.ie/symposium-2025/

This event is part of Irish Design Week, partly funded by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. https://www.dcci.ie/whats-on/irish-design-week-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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.