Irish Design Week 2026 – Fáilte Future Europe Brings a Nationwide Celebration of Design

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Contemporary design exhibition with furniture prototypes, ceramics and textile hangings in a bright gallery

Irish Design Week 2026 returns for its fifth year from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November, with more than 38 events staged across Ireland. Organised by Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI), the festival carries the theme Fáilte Future Europe — the Irish word for welcome paired with a forward-looking European agenda — and runs while Ireland holds the EU Presidency.

What’s on: key dates

From couture in Dublin to craft heritage in Kerry, the week moves across the country. Highlights include:

Sat 7 NovStanding Ground opens at Collins Barracks, Dublin — Irish couture alongside Carrickmacross lace at the National Museum of Ireland; the Irish Design Excellence Awards exhibition opens in Kilkenny.

Mon 9 NovDesign & Craft Conference at NCAD, Dublin: authenticity, craftsmanship and human creativity in an increasingly artificial world.

Tue 10 NovIreland’s Design History: From Arts and Crafts to AI at IADT, Dublin; the IDEA exhibition opens at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny.

Wed 11 NovConferences at TU Dublin, the Irish Business Design Challenge Awards, and the opening keynote of the European Creative Industries Summit.

Thu 12 NovThe European Creative Industries Summit, hosted with the Federation of European Creative Industries, fills the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, with talks and discussion labs.

Fri 13 NovRegional heritage-craft events celebrating Donegal Tweed, Connemara Marble and Waterford Crystal — plus hands-on workshops such as Sorry I’m Late at Flux Studios, Dublin.

Sat 14 NovDesign Kenmare wraps up the week with a regional finale.

Design conference keynote on a lit stage in a modern concert-hall auditorium with an audience
The European Creative Industries Summit on 12 November is the week’s flagship event, hosted at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.AI-generated illustration

“IDW 2026 is an invitation for everyone to experience the power of design to inspire, solve problems and bring people together.”

Mary Blanchfield, CEO, Design & Crafts Council Ireland

Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the week a timely chance to showcase the creativity and talent that define Ireland’s design sector; DCCI calls it its most ambitious programme yet.

Close-up of an artisan's hands working fine lace and thread with tweed swatches on a studio workbench
Heritage craft is central to the programme, with regional events devoted to lace, tweed, marble and crystal traditions.AI-generated illustration
Tickets and how to get involved

The full programme and tickets are at IrishDesignWeek.ie, and organisers can still register their own events with DCCI. For details, see the Irish Design Week 2026 page on dcci.ie or contact DCCI at Castle Yard, Kilkenny, R95 CAA6 (+353 56 7761804).

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