Join us on a cultural gathering where the project’s cultural exchange will come together in a public celebration.

Straw Connect - cultural gathering

Join us at the Clare Museum on October 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM (IST) for Straw Connect, a fun and relaxed cultural gathering. Dive into local traditions, meet new friends, and enjoy a day filled with stories, crafts, music and good vibes. Whether you're curious or a culture lover, this is the place to be. Don't miss out on this unique chance to connect and celebrate together!

Programme

12:00–13:00 | Circular Straw Loop – Live Demonstration

Artist Maeve Collins leads a one-hour participatory demonstration inspired by her project Bacach: Strawing the World Awry, exploring straw’s place in Irish traditions and contemporary making.

Together, we’ll create one straw hat, one object made by many hands, sharing knowledge, stories and ideas around this humble material. Following the circular straw loop from field to making, reuse and composting, we’ll explore how we can reuse what we have, value what we inherit, and return materials to the earth.

13:15 | Documentary Screening – Straw Traditions in Ireland & Eastern Europe

A short documentary created by Anna Scanlan explores straw hat-making traditions in Ireland and Poland and the celebrations in which these traditions appear, followed by a talk with the filmmaker.

The film highlights the connections between Irish Strawboys and the Polish Easter tradition of Dziady Śmigustne from Dobra, alongside traditional straw crafts from Poland and Eastern Europe, including straw spiders, decorations and weaving.

14:30 | Opening & Cultural Gathering

The afternoon continues with the opening of the cultural gathering, followed by traditional music, song and dance from Ireland, Poland and Ukraine.

Audiences will enjoy live Polish music by Inisowiacy Polish Folk Group, with opportunities to join in through participatory Polish traditional dance workshops. The programme will also include singing with a Ukrainian group from the Creative Center of Athlone and Irish tunes performed by Polish and Irish fiddlers.

Straw hats created during the workshops will also be worn during the musical programme, celebrating creativity, participation and shared cultural traditions.

16:00 | Take a Piece of Straw Connect Home

At the end of the gathering, participants will be invited to take home a piece they created during the workshops, leaving with a small handmade reminder of their experience and connection to the Straw Connect community.

Throughout the event, visitors will also be able to explore a range of artworks and community-created installations.

Photography by Beata Rosik

Beata Rosik’s photography tells a story of people, traditions and cultures that meet, overlap and connect in one place. The photographs were taken in Poland and Ireland, exploring shared heritage, cultural connections and our relationship with natural materials.

Paintings by Wiktoria Mrozowicz

Wiktoria Mrozowicz’s paintings are inspired by the work of Józef Czapski and his painting Żółte Pola (Golden Fields). Her collection of five paintings explores colour, landscape and memory while telling a story connected to Polish and Irish traditions of making straw hats and reflecting on creativity and cultural heritage.

Straw Mobiles Installation

Straw mobiles created by workshop participants will form an installation within the museum. Presenting these works in a museum setting acknowledges the cultural value of community-made craft and highlights the connection between everyday creativity and cultural heritage.

A series of posters created by Tanya Bondarenko will also be presented during the event, offering a contemporary artistic interpretation of the Straw Connect project.

Through straw craft, film, photography, painting, music, song and dance, Straw Connect explores shared traditions, cultural heritage, creativity and our relationship with natural materials.

Refreshments will be provided, and visitors are welcome to bring their own baked goods to share.

As part of our commitment to making the event greener, we encourage visitors to:

☕ Bring your own cup for refreshments

🚗 Share your journey where possible

🚲 Cycle or walk if you can

Straw Connect is led by Anna Scanlan and supported by Clare County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme, Clare Museum, Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), Inisowiacy Polish Folk Group and Greener Clare.

Description supplied by the event organiser.