About Cork Craft Month

Chairpersons Message

I’m delighted to welcome you to Cork Craft Month 2023 on behalf of the Board and members of Cork Craft and Design. This is our fourteenth year running this inclusive celebration of Craft and Design, where we showcase the wide breadth of skill and talent throughout the County of Cork. This is done through exhibitions, pop-up events, open studios and workshops.

This year we are looking forward to returning to Kinsale in the newly opened Library for our Showcase exhibition ‘Interwoven’. The library is in the renovated space which was known as the James O’Neill Building or The Old Mill. It's exciting to come back to this much loved venue in its new life as the James O’Neill library Kinsale. 

An important aspect of Cork Craft and Design has always been to encourage and support new Makers and Designers whenever possible. The EMERGE exhibition has become a key element of this support with a substantial award sponsored by the Friends of the Crawford Gallery in association with The Educational Training Board and Benchspace. This kind of support is instrumental to the confidence and development of new craft and design enterprises which are vital in our local communities. 

Our outlet in the Douglas Woolen Mills has become a popular destination for lovers of our locally made craft and we’re fortunate to have the food lover’s paradise ‘The Pig’s Back’ next door. We will be returning for our annual exhibition in the restaurant for the month of August. The space and atmosphere is a wonderful backdrop to the wide variety of Cork Craft and Design member’s work on the walls. 

Cork Craft and Design had its first retail space in Douglas Village Shopping Centre. We’ve been fortunate to be able to return regularly over the years for Craft Month Pop-up Events. This year is no exception, with a return to the centre with the exhibition ‘Anam’, which will feature a full range of work from Cork Craft and Design members. 

We have an exciting new event this year at the Marina Market where we will be holding our opening event and a pop-up market from the 28th – 30th of July. There’s a great buzz at the market making it well worth a visit. 

Our members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and work with an extraordinary range of materials and techniques. During Cork Craft Month you’ll see objects which have been cut, formed, carved, spun, felted, stitched, printed, forged, turned, woven, dyed, constructed, fired, and finished. These are only a few of the many techniques and steps involved in the multitude of craft included in our calendar this month. Through demonstrations, workshops, and studio visits, you have a unique opportunity to see or engage with some of the craft and design you admire. 

Cork Craft Month was originally inspired by Craft NI’s annual August celebration of craft. Last year these two events on opposite ends of the Island led to an Island wide celebration of craft supported by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. August Craft Month is now a month of celebrations including Craft exhibitions, pop-ups, workshops, demonstrations, and open studios wherever you may find yourself on our lovely island. This year we’re honoured to launch both August Craft Month and Cork Craft month here in Cork at the Marina Market on the 28th of July. Come join us at the opening or at any of the events this August, we hope that you will be inspired and gain new insight into this wonderful community.