Have you ever spent time with a professional photographer where the focus was on you, your camera, and how to take professional looking photographs? Well don't miss this opportunity to experience some of Ireland's best photographers taking you into different directions in and around Galway! We are offering three different photography workshops, all starting with 2-hours of classroom instruction at the Quilter's Village Schoolhouse.

From here, you will be taken in one of three different directions. One workshop focuses on the beautiful Connemara Region, where you will photograph mountains, streams, pristine lakes, animals and all kinds of landscapes.The second workshop focuses on Galway's City Center, photographing people, buildings, special places. And the third workshop will focus on the Burren, where you will photograph wildflowers, rock formations and sights along the ocean. You will finish your workshop knowing more about how your camera works, how to capture the best photographs possible and you will return to the Quilter's Village and end your workshop.

Saturday 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Cost: €135 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

With not as much hype as things like glass blowing and painting, basket weaving doesn’t always get the creative credit it deserves. But with our exciting and interesting workshop, we’ll be sure to put this handy craft at the top of your to-do list!

Joe Hogan, who has been making award-winning baskets since 1978, along with his son, Ciaran, will teach you how to bring outside, Irish influences into your creation. With incorporating natural willow colours that are grown near Joe’s studio in Loch na Fooey in the heart of Connemara, you will make a traditional and contemporary piece with a Celtic twist.

The aim of our workshop is for you to acquire the skills needed to leave with a brand new and original willow platter. By making a hoop, weaving the tray and putting a row of pairing weave on the outside of the tray, your creation will be brought to life in no time. Just bring comfortable clothing and your imagination to get this creative craft woven into your life! To see some of Joe’s work, visit his website at www.joehoganbaskets.com.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Duration: Full day workshop, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, a break, then 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Please Note: Joe is also doing a 45-minute lecture on Introduction to Basket Making with digital images followed by 15 minutes of questions on Friday evening from 6pm-7pm. Price for lecture is 20 Euro per person.

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

Using Swarovski Crystal

With beads being a huge fashion trend right now with everything from a classic necklace to colourful earrings, having the skills for the craft is the perfect thing to get even more creative with it.

Through our beading workshop, taught by Beads N Bling's Janette Pegley-Reed, you will learn how to bead bracelets and earrings using beautiful Swarovski Crystals! This will bling up any outfit and the technique acquired can also be used to make other designs, such as necklaces.

So come along and bling up your day!

1.5-hour duration

Offered Saturday & Sunday, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Cost: €48 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

What better way to spend a beautiful day in Ireland than to learn one if it's most beloved and creative crafts? Through this Celtic wire jewellry class, you will learn how to make the most unique pieces of jewellry to carry a little piece of Ireland with you after long after you leave.

Our Celtic wire jewellry workshop gives you the opportunity to make a beautiful wire bracelet with matching earrings using a mixture of silver, gold and copper wires. You will learn how to twist and weave your wire and embellish with beads and will gain enough skill to continue on and make your own creations through unique findings!

This is a great beginners workshop if you've never worked with wire or want to learn a new craft that can be used in other areas of jewellry making!

1.5-hour duration

Offered Saturday & Sunday, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Cost: €43 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

Have you ever been getting ready for a night out and just don't seem to have the perfect accessories to match your outfit? Well, by signing up for our jewellry-making workshop, you don't have to stress anymore. After taking this workshop, you'll be able to flaunt your own creation of a beautifully made necklace with a matching bracelet.

Through this detail-oriented course, you will learn the basics on how to make your own necklace with two designs to choose from with a great selection of beads along with a matching bracelet. Taught by Janette Pegley-Reed of Beads N Bling in Dublin, you will gain excellent skills needed to start making the jewelry you've always wanted.

1.5-hour duration

Offered Saturday & Sunday, 9:00 am – 10:30 am

Cost: €30 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

To beginners, crocheting can seem overwhelming and intimidating with and endless amount of patterns and yarns. But through our creative crocheting workshop, you will learn all the basics to get you started one stitch at a time.

Taught by Maire Treanor of Clone’s Lace in Co. Monaghan, you will have the option of learning how to create a simple piece, such as an Irish crochet necklace, or build on your already mastered skills with things like Irish crochet motifs, lace masks, collars, etc.

Maire will also be giving a short lecture on the history of Irish crochet to give you all of the background information you need to take on the craft with a full imagination. And once Maire has given you the needed knowledge on the craft, you can put your own twist on your pieces to give as gifts or keep for your own enjoyment.

Hook, yarn & loop ‘em!

Duration: 3 hours.
Friday 1 pm - 4 pm
Saturday 1 pm - 4 pm

Cost: €56 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

Whether it’s sharing with your children or expressing your own artistic flair, doll making is the perfect craft to show attention to detail and personal style. From a simple teddy bear to an intricate outfit, our workshop will cover everything there is to know about making pieces of fabric come to life.

Doll making is taught by Michelle Fallon, a self-confessed craftaholic whose enthusiasm for craft is contagious. Michelle regularly appears on RTE’s show, Four Live, and has been featured in magazines such as House & Home and Prudence.

In this workshop, Michelle will show you how to make something new out of something old. Using a pattern especially designed for our festival, Michelle will guide you through the process of cutting out and making your own cloth doll as well as dressing it with a festive Irish dancing dress.

With all things creative on her blog, www.michellemadethis.com, Michelle combines the perfect amount of needed technology with desired creativity to ensure that your crafting skills never unravel!

Please note: You need to bring your own needle and thread (white & black), scraps of fabric and wool for your project.

Saturday 1:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. & Sunday 9:00a.m. - 12:00p.m.

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

Situated in the beautiful town of Westport in County Mayo surrounded by mountains, including Croagh Patrick, or Ireland’s “holy mountain,” is a charming stone-built farm cottage made for crafting. Inside, creativity comes to life in the form of felt-making, an ancient craft favoured by the Irish. Bringing all of this small village charm to NUI Galway’s campus is Suzie Sullivan, a felt making specialist.

Through our felt-making workshop, you will learn how to give it your own, modern day twist, with no previous experience or knowledge required. With two workshops being offered, one in wet felt-making and one in dry felt-making, you will learn all of the basics to start your journey with this amazing craft. From how to decorate felt to creating surface textures, you will leave this class with a finished piece of creative work!

Being able to experience the entire process first hand is essential for an artist; and with felt making, you will be able to do just that. From how wool is transformed from soft fibres into substantial material to decorating felt with inclusions, you’ll have a firm grasp on how to bring your vision to life.

WET Felt-making

Saturday, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Saturday, 2:30 am - 5:30 pm

DRY Felt-Making

Sunday, 10:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Sunday, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

With lace making a huge comeback in the world of fashion, what better way is there to let your own style flourish than learning how to make your own pieces? With our lace-making workshop, you’ll learn about the traditional Irish craft in order to put your own touches on your newly-obtained knowledge.

Taught by Nora Finnegan of Kenmare Lace in Kerry, this workshop will teach you how to make beautiful Irish needlepoint lace pieces. This delicate and detail-oriented craft is made with needle and thread and is based on the buttonhole stitch, which aims to display, teach and promote the highest standard of Irish laces.

After this lace-making class, you’ll walk away from our workshop feeling as though you can add lace to just about anything!

Saturday Beginner Class 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Saturday Advanced Class 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm

Sunday Beginner Class 9:00 pm- 12.00 pm
Sunday Advanced Class 1:00 pm - 4.00 pm

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

With lace making a huge comeback in the world of fashion, what better way is there to let your own style flourish than learning how to make your own pieces? With our lace-making workshop, you’ll learn about the traditional Irish craft in order to put your own touches on your newly-obtained knowledge.

Taught by the Traditional Lace Makers Of Ireland, whose Irish crochet made by its President, Veronica Stuart, was part of the bouquet Queen Elizabeth II received when she visited Cork in May 2011, the workshop’s aim is to display, teach and promote the highest standard of Irish laces.

Aimed to give basic knowledge on traditional approaches to the craft, this delicate skill will be sure to leave you walking away from our workshop feeling as though you can add lace to just about anything.

Saturday 9th of June, 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. with a lunch break

Cost: €32.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

The deep-rooted and rich history of Ireland’s beautiful Aran Islands is woven into the people. With charming thatched cottages and warm welcomes from the locals, there could be no better place to spend a weekend surrounded by traditional Irish culture. And with the Aran style of knitting a favorite of many, you’ll be able to witness first hand how this tradition comes to life.

Your journey will begin on Saturday, June 9th, at 10:30 a.m. with a boat taking you to the island of Inis Oírr. Once there, you will have lunch in the quaint and family-run pub of Tigh Ruairí before visiting the home of Una Mc Donagh for a craft demonstration. You will then get the perfect end to your first day with a knitting lesson from Anne O’Maille, owner of O’Maille’s Shop in Galway, and part of the family that worked on the classic Irish film, The Quiet Man.

Sunday will start out with a beautiful guided walking tour of the island before another knitting lesson by Anne. You will learn all about the O’Maille family’s involvement in The Quiet Man, including some of the film’s costumes designed and tailored by members of the O’Maille family. You will also be shown a replica of John Wayne’s jacket and his jaunty cap as well as two gorgeous Galway shawls worn in the film. 

Cost: €235.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

What better way to decorate your home and personal space than with your own artistic creations? By signing up for our pottery workshop, you’ll be able to make something for every room in the house in the heart of Galway’s medieval street, Kirwan’s Lane!

Through this workshop, taught by Galway local and pottery expert, Judy Greene, you will learn the traditional skills of craft-potters to make festive, functional and decorative earthenware. Located in Judy’s intimate and charming studio, you will be able to gain experience on a pottery wheel to make a gorgeous finished product. With an extensive collection including dinnerware, lighting, flowerpots and bathroom pieces, Judy Greene has all the knowledge needed to teach all skills levels and the ability to bring out your most creative side.

Located in her Galway workshop surrounded by the lively and urban atmosphere of Galway City, your class will consist of learning a great craft in the middle of one of Ireland’s best cities. 

Classes are 3 hours long, with a choice of class times of 9:00 pm and 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.a

One of the best things about channeling your creativity is the ability to use your hands and dive head first into a project. With our tapestry-weaving workshop, you’ll be able to do just that and so much more.

Tapestry weaving embodies all things creative, from watercolour designs to hand weaving on a frame, resulting in each piece being unique and of the highest quality. Our workshop, taught by the winner of the RDS National Craft Competition in July 2011 for tapestry-weaving, Frances Crowe, will give you the skills needed to make unique and original artwork in the woven image. You will learn how to put a warp on a tapestry frame, weave a plain weft and diagonal curves, and about the textures and patters you wish to create…all while incorporation traditional Irish colours and techniques!

Frances, whose inspiration comes from the beautiful green countryside that surrounds her studio in Roscommon, collects materials such as wool, rope, and cotton and weaves them together to form art that stands out from any other of its kind.

With our workshop welcoming all skill levels, beginners can start from scratch while experienced weavers are welcome to bring their own material to create pieces such as shoulder bags and cushion covers.

By learning a technique that is thousands of years old and has remained virtually unchanged, you’ll be able to give any room in your home a splash of colour by showcasing your work.

3 hour duration

Saturday, 9:00 am and 2:00 pm

Sunday, 9:00 am and 2:00 pm

Cost: €68.00 per person

Click here to register for this and other workshops.

Whether you’re an experienced painter with lots of masterpieces under your creative belt or you just want to dip your toes in, our workshop offers something for everyone with a willingness to learn.

After being taken out to Ireland’s breathtaking Connemara countryside, Lynda Cookson of The Painter’s Palette in Moycollen in County Galway will teach you skills to paint the beautiful scenery in which you are surrounded with. Using either oils or acrylics, you will spend your afternoon in the heart of Ireland painting it’s stunning views.

From your first brush stroke to selecting your colour scheme, our painting workshop will bring you from a blank canvas to an exploding imagination.

Please note: This workshop is weather permitting. If we are unable to travel to Connemara, the workshop will take place on NUI Galway’s campus. You will also need to bring a small sitting stool as well as your own food and drink for the day.

Friday & Saturday, Full day

Cost: €115 per person

Please note: This workshop is weather permitting. If we are unable to travel to Connemara, the workshop will take place on NUI Galway’s campus. All materials provided including canvas’, paints, brushes, etc. You will also need to bring a small sitting stool as well as your own food and drink for the day.

Click here to register for this and other special events.