Constant Thread, Exhibition in Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin

Constant Thread

 

 The exhibition runs from 14 May to 29 May, seven days a week, 10am to 4.30pm.

As part of the Crafts Council of Ireland’s Year of Craft 2011, Bealtaine is celebrating older craftspeople who work from the traditions of weaving with a unique exhibition in the beautiful Rathfarnham Castle. These traditions which include lace and rug-making, all begin with a thread, showing how one thing leads to another, simply at first but given time with greater complexity and virtuosity.

Mamo McDonald, Honorary President of Age & Opportunity, has a passion for lacemaking:
“All craftwork, including lace, tells stories. The lacemakers share their skills and motifs – like Bealtaine transmits its ideas between generations. In Edinburgh for instance, Bosnian women saw a BBC film on Clones lacemaking and came to Clones to learn about it. Now they have adapted the stitches and make a lace called ‘Celtic lace’. Motifs we got from Venice lace become Clones marigolds and shamrocks, roses and lilies; even the whitewash brush appears in lacework here. Women use lace motifs to express their own lives, sharing the excitement of making new things; that’s surely the essence of all craftwork.”

 Take a day to visit Rathfarnham Castle, beautifully restored by the Office of Public Works and pick up a new thread while you’re there


Contact Rathfarnham Castle on 01 493 9462.

Note the Castle and exhibition may not be suitable for people with limited mobility. If you have any concerns please phone before visiting.