CRAFT Maker Summer Camps

If you have a child between seven and thirteen who likes taking things apart, building things, or just making a mess in the name of science, the CRAFT Maker Summer Camps at Mary Immaculate College are worth marking in the diary. CRAFT stands for Creative Arts Future Technologies - it is an initiative run by MIC to bring hands-on STEAM learning to children in the Limerick area. These are not passive sit-and-listen sessions; they are two-day maker workshops where kids actually produce something. Each workshop is themed and age-banded, so a nine-year-old is not thrown in with teenagers, and the programme builds from simple construction through to digital fabrication.

What to expect

Five themed two-day workshops run across the second half of July, each aimed at a different age group. Stop Motion Animation (ages 10-13) opens the series on 13-14 July, where participants plan, shoot and edit their own animated sequences. Summer Lights (ages 11-12) follows on 17-18 July, exploring electronics and light-based design. Strawbees (ages 9-10) on 20-21 July uses the colourful connector system to build geometric structures and moving models - a firm favourite with that age group. STEM Fun (ages 7-8) on 24-25 July is the entry-level session, packed with science experiments and hands-on challenges suited to younger children. Finally, Focus on Tech and 3D Printing (ages 11-13) on 27-28 July is already sold out for 2026, which gives a sense of how popular these camps have become.

All workshops run 9:30am to 2:00pm daily. The CRAFT Maker Space itself is the first facility of its kind in the mid-west region - purpose-built on the MIC campus to inspire children to think like designers, engineers and inventors. The equipment and the staff experience are the real draw here.

Getting there

Mary Immaculate College sits on the South Circular Road in Limerick City, about 1.5km from the city centre. From Dublin, the M7 brings you directly to Limerick in around two hours; from Cork, the M20 takes roughly ninety minutes. Bus Eireann operates regular services into Limerick from most major towns. Within the city, local buses serve the South Circular Road, or it is an easy twenty-minute walk from Colbert Station. Parking is available on the MIC campus.

While you’re in Limerick

Limerick City has changed considerably in the past decade and repays a full day’s visit - King John’s Castle on the riverbank, the Hunt Museum, and the medieval city walls are all within easy reach of the college. There is more to see in Limerick and across Co. Limerick.

Good to know

• Dates: 13-28 July 2026 (individual workshops run across two consecutive days each)
• Times: 9:30am - 2:00pm daily
• Ages: 7-13 years, varying by workshop - check the specific age band before booking
• Price: check with organiser at limerick.ie or email craftmaker@mic.ul.ie
• Focus on Tech and 3D Printing (27-28 July) is sold out; remaining workshops may have limited places
• Booking: via the Limerick.ie listing linked above