Now that 2025 is almost over, we can look back at a great 50th Anniversary year. Our exhibition was a great success in both the Lexicon library in Dun Laoghaire and in Ballybane library in Galway. We had lots of interesting events for members and non-members:

talk by Lisa Cassidy on her experiences doing the year long Natural Dyeing course with AppleOak Fibreworks;

talk by Gethin McBean on her experience doing the Certificate of Achievement in Weaving programme with AGWSD;

talk by Áine Dunne on her textile themed trip to Nepal;

classes in spinning cotton and hemp with Joan Ruane;

trip to the museum at 14 Henrietta Street to take the tour and meet with Fiona Harrington, lace-maker and artist in residence;

taking part in August Craft Month with spinning and weaving workshops and a Big Spin Open Day;

having a stand at Dublin Maker;

taking part in the Textile Day at Craggaunowen, Co Clare;

holding our exhibition in September in the Lexicon library, with spinning and weaving workshops and a Big Spin open event for World Wide Spin in Public Day;

having a stand at the second Dublin Fibre Festival in IMMA Dublin

holding our exhibition in November in Ballybane library, with spinning and weaving workshops;

being invited to share the stand with the Ulster Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers at Knit & Stitch Lisburn in November 2025

and attending events such as Festival of Botanical Colours in Waterville and Fibreshed Symposium.

We are looking forward to a little bit of a rest in December 2025, not gonna lie to you, and then in 2026, back again, not least with participation in European Wool Day which will take place in Ireland this time, (Tralee March 28th).

PREVIOUS EVENTS 2025

50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION, 4th November to 15th November, BALLYBANE LIBRARY GALWAY.
We are running our 50th Anniversary Exhibition again, this time in Ballybane library in Galway from 4th to 15th November. We will be taking down the exhibition on Tuesday 18th November.
Ballybane library is open from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

There will be two hands on Weaving sessions on Saturday 15th November, which are free but need to be booked at the library desk. First session: 2.30 – 3.30 and second session, 3.30 – 4.30. Call (091) 509 244 to book.

Dublin Fibre Festival, IMMA Dublin. The second Dublin Fibre Festival will take place on Saturday October 18th, 10am to 6pm,  at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin. The Guild will be there along with several other demonstrators and sellers. Do come by and have a chat with us, maybe have a go of a spindle or a wheel or a loom. Tickets are now on sale: https://www.dublinfibrefestival.com/

WORLDWIDE SPIN IN PUBLIC EVENTS Sat 20th Sept 2025

WORLDWIDE SPIN IN PUBLIC DAY 2025 Dun Laoghaire
To finish the 50th Anniversary exhibition on a high note, we are holding our Worldwide Spin in Public Day in the Lexicon library in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday the 20th of September from 1pm to 4pm. Come with your spinning wheel or spindle, or just drop by to see what it is all about! All are welcome to this free event. Contact: hello@weavespindye.ie

SLIGO: WORLDWIDE SPIN IN PUBLIC DAY 2025
Join the North West Spinners for World Wide Spin In Public Day on Saturday 20th September at the Yeats Memorial Building, Hyde Bridge, Sligo F91 DVY4 from 11am to 4pm.
All welcome, bring your wheel or drop spindle or just call in to see what its all about. All are welcome to this free event.
For more details email mary@markreewoolcraft.com

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50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION 4TH SEPTEMBER TO 19TH SEPTEMBER, LEXICON LIBRARY, DUN LAOGHAIRE

The IGWSD is 50 years old this year!

To celebrate, we will have our 50th Anniversary exhibition on in the Lexicon library in Dun Laoghaire from the 4th Sept to the 19th Sept, with the launch on Thursday 4th Sept at 6pm.

Additionally, we will have 2 workshops in the library to coincide with the exhibition:

a drop spindle workshop on Sat 6th Sept, 11am to 2pm; (cost 40 euro)

a rigid heddle workshop on Sat 13th Sept from 11am to 3pm. (cost 50 euro) .

Contact the Guild Secretary at hello@weavespindye.ie to book your place on either of the workshops or to register your interest in attending the launch of the exhibition at 6pm on Thurs 4/9/2025.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN PARTICIPATION IN OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION.
Lillias Mitchell set up the Irish Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers in 1975. This year we celebrate 50 years of the Guild. 
We are currently organising an exhibition of members’ work to be held during the first 3 weeks in September in the Lexicon library in Dun Laoghaire and hopefully also in a venue in the West of Ireland in October.
The exhibition will not be juried and all members may submit 2 or 3 pieces. The piece must incorporate at least one of the crafts of spinning, weaving, tapestry weaving or dyeing.

Full Guidelines are now available to read in this blogpost: https://weavespindye.ie/2025/05/14/guidelines-for-the-exhibition-2025/

PS, There is still time to submit a piece, email us at hello@weavespindye.ie to get the latest information.

AUGUST CRAFT MONTH 2025

We have 3 events coming up for August Craft month:
a drop spindle workshop on Sat 9th August, 11am to 1pm;
a rigid heddle workshop on 10th August from 10am to 2pm
and a Big Spin event on Sunday 17th August from 11am to 4pm,
spinners and weavers of all levels are welcome to attend at the Beckett Locke hotel on the North Docks.

For more information:
Drop spindle workshop: (cost 40 euro)
https://augustcraftmonth.org/acm-event/spin-yarn-using-a-drop-spindle/

Rigid Heddle weaving workshop: (cost 50 euro)
https://augustcraftmonth.org/acm-event/weave-a-table-centrepiece-on-a-rigid-heddle-loom/

Our Big Spin Event, : (free to attend)
https://augustcraftmonth.org/acm-event/big-spin-for-august-craft-month-2025/

COTTON AND HEMP SPINNING WORKSHOPS MAY 2025
Joan Ruane, a renowned teacher of cotton spinning from the USA, is coming to Ireland in May for 2 weeks. We are planning a full day workshop with Joan in cotton and hemp spinning in Dublin City at the Beckett Locke hotel, North Quays, on Saturday 10th May, 10am to 5pm, subject to final confirmation. The cost will be approximately 60 euro per person, with reductions for Guild members. The cost includes the materials, ie, cotton, hemp and a takhli, (a special metal spindle for spinning cotton).
You can register your interest in the workshop by emailing the Guild Secretary at hello@weavespindye.ie.
This is an incredible opportunity to learn cotton and hemp spinning from an amazing spinning teacher visiting from the USA. Definitely not one to be missed!
Joan may also set up other workshops around the country, so watch this space and our social media posts on Facebook and Instagram!

TEXTILE TALK:

On Sunday 13th April 2025, Áine Dunne, a weaver based in Co Louth, will give us a talk on her recent trip to Nepal, exploring some of the textile traditions there as part of “The Sacred Fibre Tour of the Humla Region of Nepal”. You can read more about the Fibre tour here:

https://etn-net.org/…/TextilesoftheHiddenHighHimalaya.html

This talk will take place as part of the Eastern Region meeting in The Timberyard, Dublin, on Sunday 13th April, from 2pm to 4.15pm.

The event is free, but space in the Timberyard is limited, so if you are interested, please do let us know so we can put your name on the list. Email the Guild Secretary at hello@weavespindye.ie to register your interest.

All welcome and there will be tea, coffee and chat!

Here is the address: 31A The Timberyard, St Luke’s Ave, The Liberties, Dublin, D08 K266

AGM OF THE IRISH GUILD OF WEAVERS, SPINNERS AND DYERS, 6TH APRIL 2025
We will hold the IGWSD AGM on Zoom, in a fully online format this year. The date is Sunday the 6th of April, from 2pm to 5pm. All Guild members are very welcome to participate and contribute. We are always keen to welcome new volunteers to help out with the various tasks that have to be done to keep the Guild running and growing.  If you are interested in attending the AGM on Zoom, please email the Secretary at hello@weavespindye.ie to get the link and the Agenda. 

Events in 2024

World Wide Spin in Public Day 21st September 2024

WORLD WIDE SPIN IN PUBLIC DAY is always on the third Saturday of September, so this year, that’s Saturday 21st September. There are now four events planned for that day.

There will be a Big Spin in the West in Galway, at the Ballinfoile Castlegar Neighbourhood Centre, Ballinfoile, Galway from 1pm to 5pm. All spinners are welcome, experienced and beginners.

There is a Spinning Day for WWSIP in Dublin in the Beckett Lock Hotel, on the North Quays from 2pm to 6pm. Once again, all welcome.

The Crafty Dreams Spinners of Portarlington will be running a spinning day in Killenard Community Centre, Co Laois from 10am to 4pm. The centre has plenty of parking and there is a shop and pub/restaurant across the road. There is a €10 entry fee per person to cover the cost of renting the Centre.

Our friends in The Handweavers’ Guild of Cork are holding a Spinning event in the Frameyard at Fota House and Gardens to celebrate WWSIP Day from 11pm to 3pm. All spinners are welcome, experienced and beginners.

Remember, if there is no event planned near you, then perhaps that’s a sign to have your own mini event: take your spindle/wheel, your fibre and a few friends to a coffee shop or park and sit and spin in public!

August Craft Month 2024 Events

Saturday 24th August: As part of August Craft Month, the Big Spin in the City will take place on Saturday the 24th August at the Beckett Locke hotel from 2pm till 8pm. Spinners of all levels are welcome, bring your wheel or spindle. There is a multi-storey car park nearby and there is a set down area in front of the hotel. Weavers are also very welcome to bring their inkle looms, rigid heddle looms, etc. There is no charge to attend the Big Spin. Both members and non-members are welcome.

Regular Events

The Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers takes part in a number of national events. We organise our own exhibitions and meetings, and there are a number of regional groups around the country who also organise their own events throughout the year. This page collates events as well as competitions and other important features in the calendar year.

IGWSD Spinning and Weaving Social Meetings Around the Country

There are spinning (and weaving) meetups around the country, in counties Clare, Galway, Laois, Mayo, Sligo, and in Dublin city, as well as the monthly online Zoom meeting. Check out the Guild Google Calendar on the Home page for more details. It is a good idea to confirm that an event is going ahead before you travel.

IGWSD Galway: A group of weavers meets on Tuesday mornings at a venue in the Salthill area of Galway. New weavers are welcome to join. Contact hello@weavespindye.ie for more details.

IGWSD Ennis: The Midwest Spinners meet in the lobby, Glór theatre, Ennis, Co Clare, on the first Saturday of the month from 11- 2pm. All are welcome to come spin and chat.

IGWSD Sligo: The North West Spinners meet on the second Saturday of the month, from 10.30 to around 13.00, 10.30am – 1pm, in Ballisodare , Co. Sligo, eircode: F91 Y193. Cost of €5 pp. Teas/ coffee etc provided. Parking on quiet road outside. Please spread the word!

IGWSD Laois: Crafty Dreams Spinners of Portarlington meet in Killenard Community Centre, Co Laois on the 3rd Saturday of the month, from 10.30 to 4pm. This is not a workshop, it is just a friendly meeting between fellow spinners. A fee may apply. All welcome!

IGWSD Mayo: The latest new spinning group ,the Ballyhaunis Woolly Craft Club, now meets in Ballyhaunis Community centre opposite the church on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 11am to 2pm.

IGWSD Online Zoom Social: The online Zoom meetings usually take place on the third Saturday of the month, from 6 to 8pm. We welcome all who are interested in our crafts. Email the Secretary at hello@weavespindye.ie for the Zoom link before 5pm on Saturday.

IGWSD Dublin city: the Eastern Region of the Guild meets in person in The Timberyard, Cork St, Dublin on the third Sunday of the month from 2pm to 4.15pm. See the calendar on the Home page of this website. All are welcome to these meetings, members and non-members, beginners and experienced. Come and have a go on a spindle or a small loom.

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Other Spinning groups:

County Cork: Cork City: Handweavers Guild of Cork usually meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month in Bishopstown Library, behind the Shopping Centre, from 11pm to 2pm. They also run a spinning meeting in Mallow, on the first Saturday of the month, from 11am to 3pm in the West End Studios, Mallow. Contact handweaversguildofcork@gmail.com for full details. 

Castlebar, County Mayo: The Connacht Textile Crafters meet regularly every second month at the Museum of Country Life in Turlough, Castlebar on the last Saturday of January, March, May, July, September and November, from 11am to 3pm. The museum usually announces the event on their board under museum.ie, and of course everybody is welcome to either join for the day or become a member of the group.

South East: The 1798 Spinners will be continuing to meet at Clohamon old school in the village on the 1st Saturday in each month from 12.15 to 4.15 and welcome any visitors.

South East: The community group, Spinning Yarns, meets up approximately monthly to spin and craft together as well as running workshops and demonstrations. The members are from around Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary. Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the group can email the group at spinningyarnsse@gmail.com.

South Galway: The South Galway Spinners meet monthly in each other’s houses to spin and craft together. Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the group can email me at hello@weavespindye.ie for contact details.

If you have plans to participate in or hold any local events this year please get in touch, and we will include the information on this website. Please also follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for news of upcoming events.