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heritage · Wednesday 19 August 2026 · 10:00am 
Mountmellick Embroidery Display and Workshop
At Parish Hall · Portlaoise, Co. Laois
At Parish Hall · Portlaoise, Co. Laois
Members of a local embroidery club bring Mountmellick work, the distinctive whitework embroidery tradition that takes its name from the Laois town, to the Parish Hall in Portlaoise for a free display and workshop on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. The technique, worked in white thread on white cotton satin jean fabric and traditionally patterned on local hedgerow plants, developed in Mountmellick in the nineteenth century and remains one of the county’s best-known contributions to Irish textile craft. This is a National Heritage Week event, running all day for anyone who wants to see the work up close or try it themselves.
Club members are present throughout the day to talk through the history and technique of Mountmellick embroidery, with finished pieces on display so visitors can see the raised, sculptural stitching that distinguishes it from flatter whitework styles. Beyond looking at the work, visitors are invited to sit down and try the technique themselves under guidance from experienced stitchers, making this as much a hands-on taster session as an exhibition. The day is informal and drop-in rather than timetabled around a single talk, so visitors can call in at any point between opening and close and stay for as long as suits them.
The Parish Hall is in Portlaoise, the county town, which sits just off the M7 motorway and on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Limerick railway lines. Portlaoise’s town centre car parks and train station are both within easy walking distance of the hall.
Portlaoise is the natural base for a Heritage Week visit, with the town’s shops and cafes close by for a break between the embroidery display and whatever else is on that week. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.
Heading to Parish Hall in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.