At the beginning of 2024, the Guild of Irish Lacemakers was contacted to discuss the opportunity of having a stand at the Knitting&Stitching Show in Belfast from the 7th to the 10th of November 2024.
The Knitting and Stitching Show used to come to RDS every year, and it was a huge event for every crafter in the country. Following Brexit, the organisers decided to bring the show to Northern Ireland, rather than Dublin.
The Guild’s committee called on all lace groups around the country for expressions of interest, as we are all volunteers and it would have been extremely difficult for one group to cover 4 days.
We had several Zoom meetings throughout the year, and, based on the preferences expressed by various lacemaker groups, we came up with a list of participating groups and a roster. Sara Clancy was brilliant as coordinator and the brain of the operation, and a WhatsApp group helped us communicate closer to the show dates.
We met so many people interested in lace – young and old – that we think our efforts really paid off. Despite of the complete absence of lace material suppliers from the show, we enjoyed our time in Belfast and would consider such an opportunity again.
An Evening Celebrating Youghal Lace, Youghal, co. Cork, 19:00-21:00- Showcasing pieces of Youghal lace, photographs and memorabilia with light refreshments served on the night.
If Lace Could Talk – Lace Stories, Limerick, co Limerick, 18:00-20:30, – a 10 min video running in a loop in the Limerick Museum , presenting the stories behind five lace objects (both traditional and modern) designed to be worn. The video will also premiere on YouTube on Culture Night.
LACE AGUS CEOL, Borris, Co.Carlow – 20:00-23:00 – a brief talk about Borris Lace, accompanied by a display of beautiful samples of the lace, followed by lively entertainment from local traditional musicians.
Russborough House is situated in West Wicklow, not far from Dublin. It was built in the mid-1700s for the 1st Earl of Milltown, and later it became home to the world-famous Beit Collection.
“Its classical design, perfect scale, architectural detail, and exquisite decoration marks this Palladian jewel as the most beautiful Georgian house in Ireland” says the website description.
During a recent visit, Sara Clancy, lacemaker and lace curious, visited Russborough House and spotted a few interesting pieces.
On 21-23 June 2024, following the invitation received from the South Armagh Lace Collective, a delegation of Friends of Lace Limerick , including Susan Frawley, Fidelma Cosgrave, Toni O’Malley, Eva Ryley, Marina Poster and Gabriela Avram, undertook a trip to Culloville in South Armagh.
The next stop was the Armagh County Museum , which is a partner in our Laces of Ireland project and will organise a dedicated lace exhibition in August 2025. A group of members from the South Armagh Lace Collective joined us for the visit. Sarah Millsopp, the curator, shared with us an important part of the lace collection that is not usually on display. The two hours reserved for the visit flew. We were all in a trance, marvelling at the exquisite work and attempting to identify lace types and provenance.
On Saturday, 22 June 2024, the members of the South Armagh Lace Collective organised a Carrickmacross Lace making class for the visiting group and for local people interested. Some were complete beginners, others like myself had attended a workshop 5 years prior (and still had the unfinished piece!). A pop-up exhibition with heirloom and contemporary lace pieces was organised in the same venue.
In the afternoon, a Lace Gathering took place at the Culloville Community Centre. The event saw the launch of the Laces of Ireland project in Northern Ireland. Rosie Finnegan-Bell, the chair of the South Armagh Lace Collective, sent invitations to the lace making community both north and south of the border, and there were more than 70 people in attendance.
The audience had the chance to appreciate the pop-up exhibition, discover new connections and talk about their own experience related to lace.
A pop-up Limerick lace exhibition was organised by Friends of Lace Limerick.
Carrickmacross lace teacher extraordinaire Mary McMahon was also present. Mary was one of the lacemakers who created the lace for Sybil Connolly’s famous dresses Pink Ice, and Illusion, now in the collection of the Hunt Museum in Limerick.
The gathering was a huge success, with enthusiastic feedback coming from all over the island of Ireland.
On the next morning, June 23rd, before departing for Limerick, the visitors were led on a tour of the Creggan Graveyard by local historian Una Walsh, whose enthusiasm, knowledge and elocution left a deep impression on the audience.
Based on a last minute arrangement, an invitation to visit lace designer PJ McCabe and custodian of the St. Louis Convent lace designs in Carrickmacross was extended to the whole Limerick group, accompanied by Rosie Finnegan-Bell. The idea of commissioning a joint design for a triptych has emerged and is under discussion at the moment.
