Win For The Weavers: Liberties group takes home Pride of Place Award

The Liberties Weavers were crowned winners at the 2023 IPB Pride of Place awards.

The group, based in The Timberyard on Cork Street, claimed first place in the ‘Creative Place Initiative’ category at the awards ceremony which took place back on Friday, November 11.

The 21^st annual Pride of Place award show took place in the Armagh City Hotel.

The awards aim to honour the contributions of individuals and groups in improving their local areas, and the work done to make better places to live, work, and socialise.

“We are honoured and humbled for this award,” The group said in a Facebook post. “We’re very happy that the potentials of our mission of bringing back the weaving and textiles heritage of the Liberties have been recognised.”

The idea behind The Liberties Weavers first started in 2018 when Marja Almqvist, textile artist and adult education tutor with the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, met Catherine Scuffil, Dublin City Council Historian in Residence for Dublin Central.

Both Almqvist and Scuffil were passionate about the history of weaving in the Liberties and were also both concerned about the building boom in the area, which they felt didn’t take enough account of the needs and wishes of local residents.         

Almqvist and Scuffil ran a series of workshops and classes in 2018 combining history and hands-on weaving skills, and soon found out that there was a considerable local interest in the project.

They’ve been active ever since, even if it meant having to change ways during 2020 to online classes, and then in 2021, The Liberties Weavers as we know it today was formally established as an independent community group.

The weavers’ aim is to breathe new life into the 1000 years of history of weaving and textile production in The Liberties.

This breath of new life is done through weaving classes, community-based workshops, exhibitions, and historical lectures.

For further information on The Liberties Weavers, and to find out more about their events, visit www.thelibertiesweavers.ie.