Language of Lace - Meet Traditional Lacemakers at Cork Public Museum

Lacemaking is one of the quieter Irish crafts - intricate, slow, and easy to overlook. This free morning event at Cork Public Museum gives you the chance to sit with traditional lacemakers and see exactly what it involves, close up. It suits anyone curious about craft heritage, and it runs as part of National Heritage Week, which means attendance is free and the atmosphere tends to be relaxed and unhurried. It is a good fit for adults and older children who like making things or who want to understand where this kind of skill comes from.

What to expect

The event centres on Cork Public Museum’s lace exhibit, and live members of the Traditional Lacemakers of Ireland will be on hand for the session. That means you are not just reading display panels - you are watching the craft being practised and can ask the makers about the techniques, the tools, and the traditions behind them.

Irish lacemaking has several distinct regional traditions, and Cork has a notable one of its own. Youghal needlepoint lace - developed in east Cork in the nineteenth century - is among the most refined Irish lace styles, and the museum’s permanent collection holds examples of it alongside Victorian-era examples and other pieces made in the city. The new lace exhibit gives that heritage a dedicated display, and the Heritage Week session adds a live human layer to what is in the cases.

The event runs from 10:30am to 12:30pm. You can drop in for part of it or stay for the full two hours, as tends to be the norm with Heritage Week events.

Getting there

Cork Public Museum is in Fitzgerald Park on the Mardyke, about a kilometre west of Cork city centre. On foot from Patrick Street it takes roughly fifteen minutes along the South Mall and Western Road. Several Bus Eireann city routes serve the Western Road, including the 208 and 220 - the stop is a short walk from the park gates. If you are driving, street parking is available along the Mardyke and surrounding roads, and the park itself has a small car park on the Carrigrohane Road side. Cork Kent station is about twenty minutes on foot or a quick bus ride away, which makes the museum accessible from the wider rail network.

While you’re in Cork

Fitzgerald Park is worth a wander before or after - the grounds run along the River Lee and the Shakey Bridge at the eastern end is a Cork institution. There is more to see in Cork and across Co. Cork.

Good to know

• Date: Thursday 21 August 2026, 10:30am - 12:30pm
• Venue: Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, Cork City
• Free admission - no booking needed
• Part of National Heritage Week (15-23 August 2026)
• Check for any updates at the Cork Public Museum events page: corkcity.ie/en/cork-public-museum/visit/upcoming-events/events-and-exhibitions/