#GetIrelandMaking called on Irish designers and craft makers to share their knowledge of materials and craft processes through fun and engaging activities for children, young people and adults. In turn our talented community of designers and makers focused on activities designed to support well-being and build resilience and that could easily be done at home with materials found around the house.

Activities included step-by-step interactive workshops and short video tutorials broadcast on the DCCI YouTube channel and rte.ie/culture. In a relatively short period of time #GetIrelandMaking produced 39 crafts tutorial videos and 19 live webinars. We commissioned 10 weekly podcasts on creativity in childhood which were broadcast from July until the end of September 2020.

Louise Allen, Head of Innovation and Development Programmes at DCCI, said: “Design & Crafts Council Ireland is delighted to be part of this Government-led initiative. It’s a wonderful way to support the areas of culture and creativity during these challenging times. Get Ireland Making aims to bring the skills and talents of Ireland’s craftspeople and designers directly into our homes.

Working together with our partners across Government, with RTÉ and other cultural organisations, it has been exciting to watch the GetIrelandMaking programme evolve with videos for special events such as Cruinniú n nÓg, National Design & Craft Gallery’s Generation exhibition, Cork Craft Month and Heritage Week. The DCCI aims to continue to support the ethos of Get Ireland Making by showcasing and supporting our makers through future collaborations and linking in with key events to further promote the initiative and reach new audiences.

Through Get Ireland Making, the Irish public now have a host of instructional videos and resources for educators that can be viewed again and again and will inform and engage the public, teachers, makers and future generations of craftspeople for years to come.

Find out more about Let’s Get Ireland Making here.