Castleyard, Kilkenny

HISTORY OF THE CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND

The Crafts Council of Ireland (CCoI) is the national design and economic development organisation for the craft industry in Ireland. Its activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment via Enterprise Ireland.

The Crafts Council of Ireland was founded in 1971 following a visit by the World Crafts Council (WCC) the previous year. Bringing the WCC Conference to Ireland was organised by the Irish Society for Design and Craftwork, Dr Muriel Gahan, the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and Blanaid Reddin among others. It was an event which inspired many and which resulted in the formation of the Crafts Council of Ireland as a voluntary body under the chairmanship of Frank Sutton, with a committee of honorary officials. The RDS provided office facilities and met all secretarial expenses. Subscriptions were raised by members.

In 1976 CCoI became a Limited Company. Funding was received from the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Justin Keating, and from the Industrial Development Authority and it employed a staff of two at Thomas Prior House, Ballsbridge. Its brief was to work for the improvement of standards in craft and the welfare of craftspeople and to act as advisors to the Government in matters concerning crafts. In 1977, Showcase began as the National Crafts Trade Fair with 34 exhibitors.

From 1973 to 1983, a Management Committee of fifteen people was elected by ballot at the CCoI’s Annual General Meeting to devise policy and oversee its implementation by the Secretariat. In 1983, however, the Articles of Association were amended to allow the Minister for Industry and Commerce to nominate five members of the Management Committee, while the remaining ten members continued to be elected by CCoI members. Elections are held annually, when the three longest serving elected members retire by rotation. Ministerial appointments are for a period of three years.

In 1986, the HQ in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin city centre became home to the Crafts Council of Ireland’s central administration, a large exhibition gallery and retail shop. The venue hosted many selected and themed exhibitions showing Irish and International work. Crafts Council of Ireland business and skills training, initiated in Kilworth Co. Cork in 1981, moved to the former KDW workshops in Castle Yard, Kilkenny in 1989.

In 1997 the retail activity ceased and reduced gallery activities were put in place from Design Yard in Temple Bar for about a year. All administration activity transferred permanently to Kilkenny.

The opening of the National Craft Gallery in 2000 marked a new era for the Crafts Council of Ireland, providing a new and permanent exhibition space for craft in Ireland.

Over the years, the aims and objectives of the Crafts Council of Ireland have evolved and grown to meet the needs of the industry and to ensure its continued growth and development. CCoI’s third Strategic Plan 2007 - 2009 clearly outlines its policy objectives and maps out the activities until the end of 2009.

The Crafts Council of Ireland is based in Kilkenny and in 2008 employed 18 staff. It has 55 Member Organisations and 1,701 registered craft enterprises as at 31st December, operating with a budget of €4,016,925 in 2008.

KEY DATES
1971 Crafts Council of Ireland set up in Dublin under the auspices of the RDS
1976 Became a limited not-for-profit company
1976 Showcase Ireland Trade Fair started
1986 Moved to Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin
1997 Moved from Dublin to Castle Yard, Kilkenny
2000 Opened National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny