Fiona O'Hara, Co-Founder and Secretary of Irish Crochet Lace Revival (ICLR)
Rosaleen Dwyer, Heritage Officer, South Dublin County Council
Founded in 2017, ICLR is dedicated to the revival of Irish Crochet Lace making. Irish Crochet Lace is a style of lace developed in Ireland in the 19th century as a cost effective alternative to European laces. The skills required to make this type of lace have been passed down from generation to generation orally, and as the economic sustainability of lacemaking in Ireland fell into decline, so did much of the knowledge and experience behind the making of this lace. On our journey of discovery, we have learned that in order to educate ourselves about how to make Irish Crochet Lace and disseminate that knowledge to a broader audience, we need to research the past and seek out the stories of makers and the stories of their families and communities. The short film we created with the assistance of South Dublin County Council, about a Clondalkin community of Irish Crochet Lace makers was an exercise in making the connections between the stories within the community and having those stories heard on a larger platform during National Heritage Week 2021.
