Cork Craft Month launches its biggest programme yet as Cork Craft & Design celebrates 20 years

The full schedule of events is now available to view and book at corkcraftanddesign.ie
 
Cork Craft Month has launched its most ambitious programme yet — featuring 99 events, including 80 hands-on workshops — as Cork Craft & Design marks 20 years as one of Ireland’s leading craft organisations. The full schedule is now available to book at corkcraftanddesign.ie.
 
Organised by Cork Craft & Design, a social enterprise representing over 110 professional makers and artists, this milestone year sees the festival expand in both scale and ambition. Cork Craft Month, in association with the all-island August Cork Craft, kicks off on 1 August at Fota House with Echoes of the Makers, a special members showcase exhibition celebrating two decades of Cork Craft & Design. For the first time, key exhibitions will run in both the city and county as the Voice of the Craft opens 14 August at St. Peter’s, North Main Street.
 
Also returning is the  EMERGE New Makers Exhibition at  The Gallery at No. 46, Grand Parade  (31 July – 21 August), spotlighting the creativity of Ireland’s newest generation of makers.
 
Craft events will run across  12 venues throughout Cork city and county, including Greywood Arts (Killeagh), Kilcoe Studios (Ballydehob), Blackwater Valley Makers (Fermoy), and Benchspace (Cork city).
 
This year, 81% of the programme is workshop-based — an 11% rise on 2024 — signalling a clear shift toward hands-on, participatory experiences that connect the public directly with the making process. From traditional methods to modern experimentation, highlights include seaweed pressing with Samuel Arnold Keane (23 August), basketry with Sonia Caldwell and spoon-carving with Tadhg Breathnach-Peelo (4 & 17 August); beginner embroidery with Sarah Buckley (9 August); needle felting with Emily Thompson (29 August); slab-built ceramic houses with Brendan Ryan (22 August); and lampshade making workshops with Mr Kite (15 August).
 
For teenagers, there is a make-your-own wooden toy session with Michael Whyte of Ro Óg (2 August); and a hand-building clay workshop for children with Kira O’Brien (20 August).
 
Ava Hayes, Cork Craft Month Festival Director, said: "Marking 20 years of Cork Craft & Design is a major milestone — not just for us as an organisation, but for the wider creative community we support. This year’s expanded focus on workshops reflects a real appetite for hands-on, meaningful connection with the making process. We’re very proud to create space for people to engage directly with local makers and discover the care and creativity behind every piece."
 
Additional events include a  Demo Day  (9 August) at Cork Craft & Design’s Douglas Court shop, featuring live woodturning, pottery wheel throwing, and interactive demos for children. On the Pig’s Back  Cafe/Bistro in Douglas, a neighbour of Cork Craft & Design’s flagship store, will also host a curated collection of locally made craft pieces.
 
Michael Whyte, Chair of the Cork Craft & Design Board added: "Cork Craft Month is about visibility, opportunity, and celebration. We’re proud to showcase the work of both emerging and established makers in some of Cork’s most beautiful spaces — from Fota House to St. Peter’s and No. 46 Grand Parade. Supporting our maker community is at the core of everything we do, and this year’s programme delivers that with real impact. We’re deeply grateful to our customers, partners, and supporters whose continued commitment helps sustain and grow this vibrant creative network."
 
Cork Craft Month is supported by the Local Enterprise Office, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, August Craft Month, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Cork Education and Training Board, Creative Ireland, Failte Ireland, The Heritage Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Munster Technological University, Friend of the Crawford Art Gallery and Benchspace.
 
Visit corkcraftanddesign.ie or follow Cork Craft & Design on Facebook and Instagram.