Irish Design Week kicks off with pioneering new programme - Kilkenny Live

Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) and the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) have signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), marking a major step forward in their ongoing collaboration to promote, preserve and celebrate Ireland’s design and craft heritage.

The agreement builds on a historical partnership between the two organisations and will see them work together on a new joint-purchase programme to acquire and conserve key pieces of Irish design and craft for the national collection. The official announcement of the partnership took place at the opening of ‘The Ties that Tie and the Links that Link’ exhibition in Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s National Design & Craft Gallery (NDCG) in Kilkenny.

The exhibition explores the evolution of Ireland’s design success from the legacy of the Kilkenny Design Workshops (KDW) to the future of Irish design which includes Dolmen; PA Consulting; Kilkenny Design Consultancy and Logitech.

DCCI and the NMI announced several other major initiatives, including:

-The announcement of a permanent collection of Kilkenny Design Workshops artefacts at Collins Barracks, beginning with the personal collection of Mary V Mullin, who worked as assistant to the Chairman of Kilkenny Design Workshops between 1967 and 1978, and will feature over 130 pieces.
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-The introduction of the Irish Design Excellence Award (IDEA), a new national honour recognising outstanding achievement in Irish design and the launch of a digital copy of “Kilkenny Design - twenty-one years of design in Ireland”, which is the definitive record of the KDW’s history which is publicly accessible online.

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Mary Blanchfield, CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said: “This agreement opens an exciting new chapter for Irish design and craft. Working alongside the National Museum of Ireland allows us to preserve the stories, skills, and ideas that continue to shape our creative culture. Through this partnership, we’re ensuring that Ireland’s design legacy is not only protected but also reimagined for the next generation.

Irish Design Week runs from November 17 to 21.