The RDS and Design & Crafts Council Ireland collaborate to promote the work inspired by Ireland’s rich history of lacemaking with a €2,000 bursary prize

Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) and the RDS is delighted to announce Jack O Meara as the recipient of this year’s RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary 2023. The bursary, which is part of an innovative collaboration funded by the RDS and managed by Design & Crafts Council Ireland, was launched in 2021 to mark DCCI’s 50th anniversary. The purpose of the bursary, which is valued at €2,000, is to provide supports to contemporary Irish lacemakers. The lacemaking tradition is very strong in Ireland. In recent years, knitting, crochet and needlework has undergone a revival. The winner of the Branchardière Lace Bursary, Jack, intends to use the bursary to create a series of ceramic vessels that draw on Irish traditional lace and relevant techniques for visual information. His aim is to experiment with soft and hard materials, combining lace stitches and buttonhole stitch variations with hand built clay panels, in order to create uniquely constructed vessels. The vessels will not just contain areas of stitching, rather relying on interlaced stitching and the forces of gravity to keep them structurally sound. The materiality of both textiles and clay are vast, and Jack wants to compare and contrast the processes of lacemaking and embroidery with ceramics and clay. As well as lacemaking, Jack has a keen interest in Raku, since taking pottery classes as a child. Jack hopes to experiment with attempting to capture Irish lace motifs on raku clay bodies using a process similar to horsehair raku. RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary recipient Jack O Meara said: “My interest in lace has only recently developed out of my obsession with embroidery. As embroidery is a core tenet of my practice, it seemed only natural to progress to using needlepoint lace as my work became smaller and more intricate. My practice is inspired by Irishness, our rich material culture and society, and my own textile heritage. I am delighted to receive this award as a recent graduate, to be given the opportunity to celebrate and reimagine the historical materiality of Ireland is a privilege.” The bursary is named after Eleonore Riego de la Branchardière. Renowned for her 72 ground-breaking books on needlecraft, Eleonore played a pivotal role in revolutionising the global lace industry and exerted a significant influence on Victorian-era fashion. her father from France — Eleonore seamlessly integrated the cultural richness of both backgrounds, facilitating her effortless assimilation into Victorian society. She became a needlework star, and her patterns were used by Irish women to create the in-demand fashion for English ladies. The RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary, in recognition of Eleonore's contributions, aims to celebrate the spirit of innovation and resilience in the field of needlework. The bursary is designed to support aspiring individuals, ensuring the continuation of the tradition of excellence in lace craftsmanship.

Jack O'Meara, Winner of the Branchardière Lace Bursary