- European creative leaders will join designers, makers, businesses and policymakers for a nationwide programme running from 7–14 November
- The theme, Fáilte Future Europe, will explore how Irish design can contribute to a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive Europe
- Tickets and the full programme are now available at IrishDesignWeek.ie
Dublin, 29 September 2026: Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) has today unveiled the nationwide programme for DCCI Irish Design Week 2026, providing designers, makers and creative businesses across Ireland with a platform to showcase how creativity shapes Ireland’s identity, communities and future. This year’s programme offers participants a unique opportunity to showcase their work to new audiences, build connections across Ireland and internationally and highlight the contribution of Irish design to our cultural, social and economic landscape.
Taking place across Ireland from 7 to 14 November, Irish Design Week will celebrate design in all its forms and demonstrate how it shapes Ireland’s identity, communities, and future. Through exhibitions, conferences, workshops, awards, and public events that will take place right across the country, the programme will bring together established and emerging designers and makers, businesses, educators, communities, and international contributors at events.
This year, Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union provides an important international context for the programme. Under the theme Fáilte Future Europe, Irish Design Week, which includes 38 events supported by a number of partners such as the National College of Art and Design, the Land Development Authority, and the European Creative Industries Summit, will welcome creative leaders from Ireland and across Europe, and create opportunities to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore how design can contribute to a more competitive, sustainable, and inclusive future.
From Carrickmacross lace, Donegal tweed, and Connemara marble to artificial intelligence, business innovation, and the future of Europe’s creative industries, the programme will show that Irish design is both rooted in tradition and outward-looking, shaped by knowledge carried across generations.
Niamh Smyth, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, launching the programme, said:
“Ireland’s EU Presidency is an opportunity not only to lead important policy discussions, but also to show Europe the creativity, knowledge and enterprise that define Ireland today. Through design, we turn those qualities into practical progress: stronger businesses, more sustainable communities and better responses to the challenges we share across Europe.
DCCI Irish Design Weeks theme, Fáilte Future Europe, captures the spirit in which Ireland approaches the Presidency. We are welcoming European partners to exchange ideas and build relationships, while giving Irish designers and creative businesses a powerful platform to take their work and expertise to the world.”
At the centre of the programme is the European Creative Industries Summit, hosted by DCCI in partnership with the Federation of European Creative Industries on 12 November. The summit will bring Irish and European creative leaders, policymakers and industry representatives together to explore some of the key societal challenges and how design may have the answer to them, through a series of discussion labs and talks.
Throughout the week, exhibitions, workshops, talks, and creative experiences across Ireland will invite audiences to meet designers, experience making and discover how design responds to everyday challenges.
Mary Blanchfield, CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said:
“Ireland is at the core of Europe’s creative story; our designers, makers and creative businesses are active contributors to it, with knowledge, ideas and perspectives that have relevance far beyond our shores. This year, with Ireland holding the EU presidency, we have a unique opportunity to welcome Europe’s creative community to Ireland and to show what Irish design can offer: Creativity rooted in place and communities, a strong culture of collaboration and the confidence to turn heritage into new ideas. Our ambition is that the conversations started at Irish Design Week 2026 will become partnerships, commissions, commercial opportunities and enduring relationships.”
Tom Watts, Head of Design at Design and Crafts Council Ireland, said:
“This year we have a very ambitious programme. And we are very proud of it. It connects generations of Irish knowledge and skill with fashion, architecture, business, and the future of design. From Carrickmacross lace reaching an international fashion stage to European conversations about creativity, competitiveness and sustainability, it shows how Irish design can remain proud of its roots, while responding confidently to the future, and invites everyone to be part of that story.”
DCCI Irish Design Week 2026 takes place from Saturday, 7 November to Saturday, 14 November 2026. The full programme and ticket information are available at www.IrishDesignWeek.ie
ENDS
For media queries:
DCCI
Eimear Harding, Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Design & Crafts Council Ireland [email protected] 083 023 8743
[email protected] +353 85 273 3853
Notes to editors
DCCI Irish Design Week 2026 programme highlights include:
- 7 November – Irish Design Excellence Award Exhibition, Kilkenny: Celebrating outstanding contemporary Irish design across multiple disciplines.
- 9 November – Design & Craft Conference, Dublin: Exploring authenticity, craftsmanship and human creativity in an increasingly artificial world.
- 10 November – Ireland’s Design History: From Arts and Crafts to AI, Dublin: Exploring Ireland’s design heritage and its digital future.
- 11 November – Design Futures in Heritage Craft, Dublin: Examining how traditional skills can be preserved and developed.
- 11 November – Irish Business Design Challenge Awards, Dublin: Recognising businesses using design to improve products, services and experiences.
- 12 November – European Creative Industries Summit, Dublin: Exploring how creativity can help address Europe’s defining challenges.
About DCCI Irish Design Week
DCCI Irish Design Week is a nationwide celebration of design in all its forms. It brings designers, makers, businesses, educators, communities and international contributors together through events across Ireland. The 2026 theme, Fáilte Future Europe, draws on Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Irish tradition of welcome. It invites people from Ireland and across Europe to exchange ideas, build relationships and explore how design can respond to the challenges shaping our shared future.
About Design & Crafts Council Ireland
Design & Crafts Council Ireland is the national agency for design and craft in Ireland. DCCI supports designers and makers to develop their businesses sustainably and advocates for the economic, social and cultural value of design and craft. DCCI’s activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 68 member organisations and more than 3,500 registered clients.
