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Ballymaloe Craft Fair
November 19, 2016 @ 10:00 am - November 20, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
The Ballymaloe Craft Fair has built a national reputation as a pre-eminent Irish Christmas shopping experience. It returns for the seventh year on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November from 10am until 6pm, offering work by more than 150 of Ireland’s finest craft professionals.
Both admission and parking are free. The fair takes place on the grounds of Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, East Cork.
A new feature this year are Craft Taster Workshops in The Big Shed from 11am until 5pm. Creative inspiration is in store as crafts people share skills such as making a willow plant cone, sewing a fabric reindeer, and ‘the joy of pottery.’ It is an opportunity to learn from craft masters doing what they do best – creating by hand.
A special highlight is a one-hour demonstration by Iona Murray, Ballymaloe’s floral designer, on creating a fresh flower centre piece for the Christmas table on Saturday at 2:30pm.
A Christmas decoration making demonstration for children will engage the younger generation. All ages will enjoy the Darktown Strutters who will energize the atmosphere with live swing jazz music on Sunday. There is also a live performance by The Cats Pyjamas, a jazz and Lindy hop dance troupe. The Cats will offer free lessons to anyone with a yen to learn swing dancing.
The Blue Boar Medieval Crafter will set up a field forge typical of the Viking era where he will go at it ‘hammer and tong’, making steel spear heads, blades, brooches and more while sharing the historical context of the artefacts.
Ballymaloe Cookery School and Ballymaloe Foods (formerly Ballymaloe Country Relish) will be well-represented, selling a large range of foods and cookery books.
But the core of the Ballymaloe Craft Fair weekend is the 150 stands offering textiles, pottery, jewelry, wood and glass work, paper crafts, fine art, children’s toys, cosmetics, confectionary, knit wear, and much more.
It’s a stress-free shopping experience with the Ballymaloe twist, as browsers can pause for coffee and delicious hot food served by local ‘kitchen heroes’ in The Big Shed.
Admission is free thanks to sponsorship by The Village Green Grocer and Food Hall in Castlemartyr, a trusted supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables to Ballymaloe House and Ballymaloe Cookery School.
For more information or additional images contact:
Jamie Monagan| Programming & Marketing
Ballymaloe Grainstore, Shanagarry, Co Cork
Tel: 00353 (0)86 892 4447 | Email: [email protected]