Northern Ireland Heritage Crafts: 5 Exciting Crafts To Try!

Just one walk through St. Georges Market shows how much craft talent is in Northern Ireland. What are heritage crafts, and which ones are associated with Northern Ireland? Which ones can you have a go doing? And which ones are in danger of being lost forever? This article will help you find the answers to all these questions and maybe even help you find a new hobby. Learn all about these traditional crafts and find out where to learn them!

Who are the Heritage Crafts Association?

The Heritage Crafts Association works with government bodies, agencies, and UK crafters to advocate for traditional crafts and protect them from extinction through research, advocacy, education, and training.

Most crafts were once done by hand with traditional tools and methods; however, this is now dying out with new technologies. The Heritage Crafts Association wants to recognize the importance of these crafts and encourage their continued use and practice. They keep track of the traditional crafts practised around the UK and the number of practitioners keeping the craft alive.

Click here to check out their Red List of Heritage Crafts.

How are Heritage Crafts Saved from Extinction?

Some crafts are listed as critically endangered on the Heritage Crafts Association’s Red List, meaning they are currently at high risk. However, these crafts don’t have to stay on the list, and many can be moved to ‘At Risk’ or even ‘Viable’ with action taken by craft organizations and traditional craft practitioners. How are these crafts saved from extinction?

Increased training and awareness campaign funding is one way these crafts can increase their numbers, as training new practitioners can be expensive and time-consuming.

Technology is the downfall of many traditional methods, but it also increases awareness of traditional crafts. Crochet is an excellent example of a craft that has seen a massive revival through social media such as Instagram and TikTok. Crochet is seen as a young person’s craft instead of being associated with grandmothers making blankets. The prevalence of YouTube tutorials and Instagram posts showing successful projects has done wonders for crochet.

What are the Traditional Northern Ireland Heritage Crafts?

Northern Ireland is packed full of talented crafters who constantly make something new, and there always have been. The main traditional crafts associated with Northern Ireland are:

• Textiles & Linen
• Basket Weaving
• Woodworking
• Distilling & Brewing
• Irish Knitting & Crochet

Textiles & Linen Weaving

Due to the abundance of flax grown in Ireland, the linen industry has a long history on the island. Linen was the most critical industry in Ireland for over 300 years, and although its production is reduced in Ireland today, it is still made and weaved in the country today. The main traditional craft associated with linen is weaving. Weaving with linen is a highly skilled craft due to the varied length of flax fibres. The resulting fabric breathes well and comes in a variety of patterns.  

Damask Weaving is marked as critically endangered by the Heritage Crafts Association, but Northern Ireland is one of the only places where this craft is practised. Damask weaving makes complex patterns through intricate weaving. Have a look at the video below to see Damask weaving in action at the Irish Linen Center:

Basket Weaving

Traditional Irish baskets are woven from natural materials such as heather, willow, and hazel. Willow work basket weaving is a much less practised craft which Northern Ireland heritage crafts practitioners are saving.

According to the Heritage Crafts Association, both the creation of willow work baskets and the growing of willow to create baskets are Northern Ireland heritage crafts at risk. Willow work baskets are intricately woven from dried branches of willow trees, a fascinating and complex practice.

Welig Heritage Crafts, based near Portaferry, specializes in willow weaving and grows its own willow trees for use in the craft. It is run by two expert basket weavers who are passionate about keeping this craft alive and well.

Woodworking

Woodworking is a traditional Northern Ireland heritage craft that isn’t going anywhere. Handcrafted wooden furniture and decorations continue to be in style. Some craft experts in Northern Ireland also use only traditional methods in a craft called ‘Green Wood Working’.

Green Wood Work Ireland is one of those companies bringing traditionally carved and treated woodwork to Northern Ireland using traditional manual methods. The owner, Stephen Ryan, is passionate about woodworking and even offers commissions for his work.

Distilling & Brewing

Northern Ireland Craft Breweries

Northern Ireland has a long history of brewing beer, and ales were once one of the most critical industries in Belfast (until the rise of Guinness). Many craft beer producers are trying to recapture the brewing history in Northern Ireland. One of these breweries is Bells Brewery, which opened the first brewpub in Belfast. Here is a list of the craft beer producers reviving Northern Ireland’s Craft Beer industry.

• Ards Brewing Co.
• Beer Hut Brewing Company
• Bells Brewery in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Boundary Brewing Company
• Bullhouse Brew Company
• Farmageddon Brewing co-op
• Heaney Brewery
• Hercules Brewing Co.
• Hilden Brewing Co.
• Knockout Brewing Co.
• Lacada Brewery
• Modest Beer
• Mourne Mountains Brewery
• Northbound Brewery
• Walled City Brewery
• Whitewater Brewery Northern Ireland

If you want to learn more about these distilleries and where to visit them or try their craft beer, check out our article here. You can also find out which bars in Belfast are the best places to try unique craft creations here.

Northern Ireland Distilleries

Distilling liquor is a traditional Northern Ireland heritage craft with a rich history. The most well-known distillery, of course, is the Bushmills Distillery, which is even featured on some Northern Irish banknotes. Whiskey is a big staple of Northern Irish craft distilling, but in recent years, distilleries specializing in gin have grown in popularity. Following the legalization of poitin in the Republic of Ireland, it is also being distilled around the country.

• Boatyard Distillery
• Copeland Distillery
• Echlinville Distillery
• Hinch Distillery
• Killowen Distillery
• Rademan Estate Distillery
• Old Bushmills Distillery
• Wild Atlantic Distillery

Who Offers Northern Ireland Heritage Crafts Classes?

Textile Craft Classes Northern Ireland

Here are a few places offering traditional textile craft classes in Northern Ireland:

• Simply Spun: fabric weaving classes
• Craft Courses: Wool spinning classes
• Craft NI: Folk Embroidery

Basket Weaving Classes Northern Ireland

• Atlantic Craft NI: All sorts of basket and other wood weaving projects, including Bee Skep making, an endangered craft from the Heritage Crafts Association red list.
• Craft NI: Willow Weaving Classes
• Welig Heritage Crafts: Basket weaving classes
• Ulster Folk Museum: The Ulster Folk Museum has an in-house basket maker and offers workshops where you can try your hand. It also has a range of traditional crafts on display, including weaving, basket making, and bread making.

Green Wood Working Classes Northern Ireland

• Green Woodwork Ireland: Offering workshops and demos, including complete furniture creation classes.

Craft Brewing Classes Northern Ireland

• Whitewater Brewery: Brew day experience to learn the steps of the brewing process.
• Walled City Brewing: Homebrew Academy

Conclusion

Northern Ireland’s heritage crafts range from brewing to building baskets, essential to Ulster’s intangible culture and traditions. These crafts are an essential piece of history that is worth engaging in. There are many more crafts from Ireland to explore, and this article isn’t exhaustive. Why not try out a Northern Ireland heritage craft, and maybe you will find a new passion in it? Then, you can play a part in saving these critical traditional crafts from extinction.