The Leitrim Design House were delighted to welcome everyone along
to a free afternoon of Irish music, dance and craft in
October, 2017.

Edwina Guckian, a well known master of Irish dance, displayed her wonderful talents as a dancer accompanied by local musicians.

Ciara McCormac, an artist based in Cootehall, held a drop-in clay workshop for children. Ciara may well have drawn inspiration from her exhibition of ceramic paintings on ART WALL in the Leitrim Design House at that time.

Visitors to the building had the opportunity to try their hand at the traditional craft of rope making with Steffi Otto from Heritage Crafts Alive, or join Lukasz Jurgowiak, who shared his great skills in working with willow gathered from local hedgerows.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet talented and creative makers and learn about their inspiration and creative processes, and was the finale event of our Creative Communities programme. The purpose of Creative Communities is to share traditions and connect cultures. The programme invites our migrant communities to join us in exploring their creativity and celebrating Irish culture. This event was sponsored by the Communities Integration fund from the Department of Justice and Equality.

We welcomed a number of the Syrian community from Ballaghaderreen, along with members of new communities in the area at this event. The event was also open to members of our local community to join us in both sharing and celebrating our unique culture and in turn learn more about aspects of other new cultures that continue to enrich our communities.