Carlow County Council Invites Local Craftspeople and Creatives to Shape the County’s First Creative & Craft Business Support Strategy

Carlow County Council invites craftspeople and creative practitioners based in County Carlow to take part in an informal lunchtime focus group on Thursday, 5 February 2026, from 12.30pm to 2.00pm, in Enterprise House, Carlow.

This session forms a key part of the development of County Carlow’s first Creative and Craft Professional Business Support Strategy. The focus group will provide an opportunity for local makers, designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs to help set priorities for training, mentoring, funding pathways, and business supports that respond directly to the needs of the sector in Carlow. Insights gathered will inform the design, timing, and delivery of future supports from 2026 onwards.

This informal session will focus on identifying what the craft and creative sector in County Carlow needs to thrive. Carlow County Council is currently rolling out a range of local, national, and EU-funded supports and is seeking to strengthen and better align these supports for the years ahead. Participants will be encouraged to highlight skills that require protection and development, identify gaps in digital capability, and shape sustainability and circular-economy supports that are practical for studios, workshops, and creative businesses.

By taking part, attendees will help direct skills development to support business growth and professionalisation, shape mentorship pathways that connect emerging and established makers, inform the rollout of digital and e-learning tools to improve market reach, and influence future exhibitions, collaborations, and opportunities to showcase Carlow craft both locally and internationally.

Carlow County Council currently delivers a range of business and innovation supports for the creative sector, including the Local Enterprise Office programme and a number of EU-funded projects, such as Craftwork 4.0 All (Creative Europe), Digitext, and Hands Across Generations (HAG) (Erasmus+).

Craft and creative practitioners based in County Carlow who would like to participate are invited to register their interest via Shape County Carlow's First Creative & Craft Business Support Strategy - Local Enterprise Office - Carlow or contact enterprise@carlowcoco.ie

Hands Across Generations (HAG) is a European cooperation project co-funded by Erasmus+. The partnership brings together 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, deliver intergenerational mentoring workshops, provide sustainability and circular-economy training, and coordinate exhibitions, focus groups, and policy actions that support the long-term resilience of the craft sector.

Event detailsDate: 5 February 2026

Time: 12.30pm to 2.00pm

Venue: Enterprise House, O'Brien Rd.,Carlow, R93 Y0Y3