Some things to see and do in Ireland during the year of Irish Design

2015 has been designated as the year of Irish design. Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) is a year-long programme which will promote and celebrate Irish design with the aim of driving job-creation, growing exports and increasing competitiveness. It is an all-island initiative and will showcase the best of Irish design at home and abroad through events and exhibitions.

When many of us think of design, we might think about architecture or fashion or crafts. But, design is about so much more – from film and animation, to medical devices to the Philae craft landing on a comet last month – all are design focused and Ireland has some world class talent in this field.

Details of the national and international programme for ID2015 are available at www.irishdesign2015.ie.

You can immerse yourself as soon as you land at Dublin Airport – Design Island, a year-long photographic exhibition at Dublin Airport, celebrates the breadth of Irish creativity. In it, Irish photographer Peter Rowen captures 24 designers at work in their studies around Ireland.

Other highlights include

• The Coach House at Dublin Castle will be a design hub for ID2015, showcasing Irish and international design exhibitions from partners including Design Museum London and Vitra Design Museum, Germany.
• A “Celebrate Your Local Design Hero” initiative will encourage local libraries to celebrate designers from their local area through events, workshops or mini festivals
• Sectoral and regional design networks will be established across the island of Ireland to stimulate economic growth and encourage investment and collaboration in the design sector
• A design innovation fund will see the initiation of a diverse range of projects such as workshops, conferences and events which will have a strategic impact on the development of supports for design companies and SMEs across the island of Ireland
• The work of Irish designers will be presented at international events such as Milan and Dutch Design Weeks, London Festival of Architecture, London and Paris Fashion Weeks, London Design Festival, Chicago Architecture Biennial and Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Hong Kong/Shenzhen
• Design Challenges will take place during the year where Irish designers will work with communities to develop solutions to design needs or opportunities for improvement
• Dublin has been designated World Design Hub 2015by the International Association of Designers as part of ID2015, promoting the skills and talents of Irish designers to a worldwide audience
• A digital platform will act as a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in finding the latest tools and techniques for applying design, making connections with peers, and finding the latest research
• Toolkits and programmes will be developed for design-led education initiatives from primary to third level to ensure the ongoing development of design talent and expertise in Ireland

For all things design here are some great things to do in Dublin and along the Wild Atlantic Way

• Shop for Ireland. Seek out Ireland’s specialist shops and designers. They include Costume, Castle Market, Dublin for the Helen Steele and Emma Manley labels; Momuse, Powerscourt Townhouse Shopping Centre for Irish contemporary jewellery designers; Scout in Cows Lane, Temple Bar for Electronic Sheep and Petria Lenehen; Indigo & Cloth for Edmund McNulty; Marion Cuddy in Powerscourt for Tim Ryan, Honor Scanlon, Lisa Shawgi and others; Om Diva, Drury Street for emerging irish designers and atelier The Design House, Dawson Street, for Bebhinn Flood and other labels; The Loft Market, Powerscourt; and We Are Islanders, an art-fashion house based at South Studios, 27/28 New Row South, Dublin 8.
• Also yielding gems are The Design Centre at Powerscourt Townhouse; Arnotts; the Kilkenny stores, which have branches around the country; Brown Thomas which hosts the Create pop-up showcasing Irish designers; Dunnes’ Stores with its Paul Costelloe, Carolyn Donnelly and Helen James’ lines, and an array of independent shops and design studios right around Ireland. These include Designist, South Great Georges Street and the fabulous Carlingford Design House, Co. Louth, which has a resident jeweller, Garrett Mallon, and classroom.
• Sample a section of the vast National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks. Ideal for rainy day browsing, it showcases Irish haute couture; furniture; silver; and ceramics. There is a permanent exhibition on the work of Eileen Gray, including the adjustable chrome table and the non-conformist chair. You can also see family photos, her lacquering tools and personal items. ’The Way we Wore’ looks at clothing and jewellery worn from the 1760s to the 1960s. Admission is free. Also take in the National Gallery of Ireland which houses 15,00 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and objets d’art dating from the early 13th century. The Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, is another must-see.
• See a film at the Irish Film Institute in Eustace Street, Temple Bar. It’s both an art house cinema and a national body that supports Irish film heritage. It maintains an archive of Irish film and provides education on film culture. The shop sells books about Irish cinema as well as Irish and world films and there’s also a relaxing cafe. While in the area, drop into the Gallery of Photography and the Saturday food market.
• Witness the talent evident at the Design Tower on Grand Canal Quay, a restored stone tower, now home to award-winning designers, craftspeople and artists and also the Access to Arts applied art gallery. Featuring silver work; sculpture; ceramics; jewellery; fashion and textiles; an art gallery; musical instruments and works from over 17 designers, it’s open to visitors and special commissions are welcomed. Check the website, www.thedesigntower.com for details of opening hours as all studios operate independently.
• Explore landmark buildings and places in the capital, from Georgian Dublin to the docklands, with Architecture Tours of ireland. The guides are RIAI registered architects; architectural graduates and urban specialists. If food and fashion are your favourite things, Fab Food Trails runs guided walks in Dublin on the topics. Their Cork food tasting trail has also built up a lot of fans.
• In Kinsale,seek out Charlotte & Jane, an irish design label that specialises in 1940s and 1950s-inspired dresses and suits. Charlotte Cargin, a graduate of Central Saint Martin’s and jane Skovgaard, a fine art graduate of Durban Technikon, specialising in drawing and textiles, are the designers behind the brand. Everything is made locally by their team of seamstresses, with every dress taking about four weeks to make.
• Visit the Crawford Art Municipal Art Gallery, Cork. Located beside the Opera House, its permanent collection is particularly strong in Irish art of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The gallery houses over 2,000 works, including sculpture and contemporary video installations. Programming includes Irish and international artists. The beautiful building incorporates a popular cafe. Make sure you include Queen Elizabeth’s favourite, The English Market, for artisan produce.
• After hosting City of Culture, 2014, Limerick has plenty to offer, with attractions including The Hunt Museum which exhibits one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of art and antiquities, dating from the Neotlithic to the 20th century, featuring works by Renoir, Picasso and Yeats.
• Those with literary leaning should visit Seanchai, the Kerry Wrtiers’ Museum in Listowel, home to the late John B. Keane, author of ’The Field’ and the late Bryan MacMahon, another well known writer. Soak up the ambience over tea or coffee and freshly baked scones in the team room, a Georgian style room overlooking The Square. In Tralee, Siamsa Tire, celebrates Irish culture and is home to the National Folk Theatre of Ireland.
• In Clare, indulge yourself at the Burren Perfumery, which makes natural and organic cosmetics from a small facility in the middle of the stunning Burren. Lots of special events are held throughout the summer.
• Track down some of the magnificent textiles made on the island. The award-winning Foxford Woollen Mills Visitor Centre in Foxford, Mayo, offers a tour of its working Woollen Mills, allowing visitors to see how techniques are passed down the generations to create contemporary designs. Donegal is also very strong on woollen mills. While in Donegal, make your way to Convoy, home to contemporary designer, Edel MacBride who is passionate about great yarn, colours and designs. She runs a studio, shop and school there and her amazing knit and crochet creations have caught the eye of Sarah Jessica Parker.
• The Leitrim Design House is a not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting the development of designer/makers and artists. Its retail gallery showcases contemporary jewellery; ceramics; glass; textiles; limited edition prints and original artwork. Workshops and meet the maker events are run throughout the year.
• In Sligo, visit WB Yeats’ grave at Drumcliffe graveyard, at the food of the Benbulben mountain. Drop into Drumcliffe Tea House and Craft Shop and browse through the Yeats’ and Irish interest books.

Irish Design 2015 partners include Founding Partners – MCO Projects; Accommodation Partners – The Doyle Collection; Venue Partners – OPW; Exhibtion Partners – DAA.