Between 4 and 6 October 2024, a delegation of The South Armagh Lace Collective came to visit Limerick , following the invitation of Friends of Lace Limerick.
Day 1 of the visit was spent in the Limerick Museum, studying and discussing pieces from the Florence Vere O’Brien and the Maude Kearney collections.
On Day 2 of the visit, Eva Ryley taught a Limerick lace workshop in the Limerick Museum in the morning.
In the afternoon we paid a visit to the Sisters of Mercy Provincial Heritage Centre in Charleville, hosted and guided by Sr. Bernadette Knopek. Sr. Bernadette was an amazing host, bringing artefacts to life with the stories she told us. We are really sorry to hear that the Heritage Centre closure is imminent – it is such an important repository of Ireland’s lacemaking history!
Day 3 was dedicated to a Limerick city walking tour, with an emphasis on “places of lace”: Todd’s, Cannock’s, the different sites of Florence Vere O’Brien s lace school (Bank Place, 112 and 48 George Street), Thomondgate where Thomond Lace Industry was based, Clare Street, where the David Kinnear and the David McClure manufacturers were based, and finishing with the site of the Good Shepherd Convent.
On the way back, we paid a visit to the Antique Loft at the Limerick Milk Market and had coffee together in The Savoy Hotel . Less photos, as we were too busy making plans!
We had a wonderful time together, and we are all looking forward to meeting again soon!
