Pictures: Yulefest celebrates the strength of the local as Made in Kilkenny move to Parade

The central place of the need to shop local has become key to the Yulefest Christmas celebrations as the Made in Kilkenny craft and art collective opened in Bank House on Kilkenny’s Parade area last week.

Occupying the former KBC Bank building, now owned by local development KIDCO, the group have moved from their traditional pre-Christmas home on John Street.

Their top-quality selection of ceramics, woodcraft, jewellery and hand-woven goods have added hugely to the goods on offer at the Christmas market and in the broader city centre shopping area.

Pictures by Vicky Comerford
Mayor of Kilkenny John Coonan said he was delighted with this prestigious addition to the festival core.

“This is a fantastic collection of the very best that Kilkenny has to offer in terms of its thriving craft industry,” he said. “We see here the cream of the makers and producers in Kilkenny and I urge people to do their Christmas shopping in the heart of our city, both here and in the thriving shopping streets around us.”
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Ceramicist, Rosemarie Durr, speaking on behalf of the Made in Kilkenny group said they were delighted with such a central showcase venue.

“We are hugely thankful to KIDCO and to Yulefest and Kilkenny County Council for this great venue,” she said. “It has brought our produce to a high-profile location which dovetails with the attractions of the Christmas Market and the Christmas buzz around us on the Parade.

“This marks another great step in the history of Made in Kilkenny, which goes back 16 years. We hope the public will continue to support us as they have in our first few days and treat themselves or their loved ones to truly special and locally made pieces as unique gifts which will last a lifetime. We hope that the aims of those visionaries who founded Kilkenny Design Workshops over 60 years ago are embodied in what we are doing here.”

Gerry McGovern, Chairperson of the board of KIDCO, said the arrival of Made in Kilkenny in their recently-acquired premises showed the potential of the use of the building for social and enterprise uses.

“Our aim has always been to encourage enterprise in Kilkenny, based on reaching the highest of national and indeed international standards. Made in Kilkenny embodies so much of those founding values and we hope they thrive in the coming weeks, months, years and even decades ahead.’