Carlow County Council invites craftspeople and creatives based in County Carlow to an informal, lunchtime focus group on Thursday, 5th February 2026, from 12.30pm to 2.00pm in Enterprise House, Carlow. Your input will set local priorities for training, mentoring, and resources under the Hands Across Generations programme. Lunch will be provided.
Hands Across Generations is a European cooperation project, co-funded by Erasmus+. The partnership includes seven organisations across Europe, including Carlow County Council. Over the next two years the project will develop a Digital Heritage Toolkit with e-learning resources, run intergenerational mentorship workshops, deliver sustainability and circular economy training, and coordinate exhibitions, focus groups, and policy actions.
This informal session will focus on what County Carlow needs by helping to inform the development of the local craft and creative enterprise strategy. By attending, you can highlight skills that require protection, identify gaps in digital capability, and shape sustainability supports that work for local studios and workshops. The findings from Carlow will inform the design and timing of activities delivered in the county and will feed into European policy development through the project partnership. This, in turn, will benefit local craftspeople in Carlow, especially those who have developed their craft business.
By taking part, you will help direct skills development that supports your business growth, guide mentorship that connects emerging and experienced makers in Carlow, inform the rollout of e-learning tools that improve your digital reach, influence future exhibitions and opportunities to showcase local work.
Speaking about the importance of this upcoming session, Lisa Hutton, EU Project Coordinator, noted: 'Carlow’s craft community has a distinct voice, and we want to hear it. By joining this informal focus group, crafters and creatives can influence training, sustainability and digital priorities for craft.'
When asked about the Hands Across Generations programme, Cllr Ken Murnane, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, reflected on the first few months of the project: 'Informal sessions such as this one help to support innovation and strengthens local craft practices. It links our makers with a European network and brings new training and resources into the county. I encourage craft and creative practitioners to attend this informal session and share their views.'
If you are a person working within the craft and creative space in Carlow and would like to have your say, please register your interest through this link Shape County Carlow's First Creative & Craft Business Support Strategy - Local Enterprise Office - Carlow or email enterprise@carlowcoco.ie
Event details
Date: 5 February 2026
Time: 12.30pm to 2.00pm
Venue: Enterprise House, Carlow
