Meeting 10:00

Mary McDonnell, “Echoes”

Mary is a mixed-media and textile artist based in County Louth. Home Economics teacher by trade, she tapped into her creative potential in local art classes, where she had a chance to experiment with all kinds of media. She’s a self-taught quilter; together with Celine Stevenson, her long-time friend and collaborator she met at quilting class she started Drogheda Quilters. She later joined the Irish Patchwork Society, and became its commitee member. In 2003 she started the Indigo Art Group, and more recently another group called Alchemy (both with Celine). Outside of textiles, she’s an avid reader, gardener, history fanatic and traveller.

Her talk will follow her journey as a textile artist, from a childhood on a dairy farm near Slane, all the way to her dream studio in her own garden, where she now gives workshops in drawing and painting using many different media.

Workshops: 13:00

Sidella O’Brien

Sidella O’Brien is an established visual artist based in County Wicklow, specializing in creative bookbinding and contemporary textiles. She is a member of the '04 Textile Group and frequently leads local workshops on paper craft and bookmaking techniques. She has been teaching bookbinding for many years and is full of enthusiasm and passion for making beautiful books.

She will host a workshop on book making for fabric samples. Participants will make an A4 book using a Japanese stab binding technique. This is a flexible binding as pages can be paper, card and or fabric or a combination of all three. The book can also be scaled up or down depending on its purpose.

Cost: €50 all materials and equipment will be provided.