Press Release for Immediate Release

International Activities planned for 2022 and beyond as part of Craft Hub International Meeting

13 delegates from across Europe as part of the Craft Hub Programme descended on County Carlow this week for the development of the Craft Hub Programme. Craft Hub is a European project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme focused on Craft in the context of cultural heritage and its continuing relevance in contemporary practice.
Following a formal welcome by Cllr. John Mc Donald, Leas Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council with Director of Services, Michael Rainey and Head of Finance, Pat Delaney the delegation received presentations from Visual, Carlow Arts Office, Bishop Denis Nulty, Carlow Museum, Creative Europe Ireland and also developed the Craft Hub Programme for 2022 and 2023 which will include a variety of activities including international residencies hosted in Carlow, local workshops and an Exhibition. Welcoming the group, Cllr.Mc Donald said “We are delighted to welcome the delegates from Wales, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Scotland who are all experts in the field of creative development, and I look forward to seeing the positive outputs from this international collaboration in the years to come”
Speaking about the meeting, Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise with Carlow County Councils – Local Enterprise Office said, “We were delighted to welcome the Craft Hub Group to County Carlow and to be leading the overall project is an opportunity for the County to develop our skillset in the co-ordination and development of EU projects of scale”. Comerford continued to say, “This was the first physical interaction of the Craft Hub Group, and the group were impressed by the range of quality of our support infrastructure for the Creative community and our approach to supporting this community in County Carlow”.
As part of the programme the group visited a supported project called Borris Lace by Post with local artist Ally Nolan. Borris Lace by Post focused on the traditional Craft of Borris Lace, deeply rooted in the South of our County, of the place and people of Borris and Rathanna in the foothills of the Backstairs Mountain. This isolated rural community are invited to participate in the project by signing up to receive a monthly Borris Lace Pack over six months. Members of the Borris/Rathanna Active Retirement Group and the local Borris Lodge Nursing Home will be participating.
Commenting on the planned activities for 2022 & 2023, Melissa Doyle, EU Project Administrator with Carlow County Council said, “One of the key activities for 2022 will be residencies where Carlow will host international professionals and also provide opportunities for professionals to travel to our partner countries to participate in the residency programme”. “The residencies will contribute to capacity building of Craft professionals, by helping them to create expanded skills, develop (new) international networks and make them more engaged with local communities. “
This EU funded Creative Europe aims to foster the professional development of creative careers and their work cross borders and to reach new European audiences and develop innovative artistic models designed to help strengthen and sustain the arts and cultural sectors here in Ireland. The Carlow County Council project team is Kieran Comerford , Seamus Doran and Melissa Doyle from the Local Enterprise Office, Aileen Nolan from the Arts Office, John Shortall from the Library Services and PJ Leonard and Margaret O’Toole from the Finance Section.

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For further detail contact Kieran Comerford on kcomerford@carlowcoco.ie or 086-8252037