Irish Patchwork Society, Western Branch

27/09/2026

Congratulations to Mari Moran who is photographed with the Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan TD, who was presented with her piece made for the exhibition.

27/09/2026

🍂🧵 Western Branch Irish Patchwork Society - September Meeting 🧵🍂

It was wonderful to welcome everyone back for the first meeting of our new quilting year after the summer break.

As always, our Show & Tell was a highlight of the day, with members sharing the beautiful projects they had been busy creating over the summer months. From colourful quilts and intricate patchwork to stunning textile art and expertly finished pieces, there was plenty of inspiration on display.

It was lovely to catch up with friends, welcome new faces, and see the creativity and enthusiasm that makes our branch so special. Thank you to everyone who brought along their work to share. The talent within our group never ceases to amaze us!

We look forward to another year filled with friendship, learning, creativity and, of course, plenty of quilting.

27/09/2026

Our May meeting was a wonderful celebration of creativity, talent, and inspiration. Members enjoyed a fantastic Show & Tell, sharing a wide variety of beautiful quilts and textile projects, each reflecting the skill and individuality of its maker.

A special highlight of the day was seeing all the entries for the Western Challenge displayed together. The diversity of interpretations, colour choices, techniques, and designs was truly impressive. It was inspiring to see how each member approached the challenge in their own unique way, resulting in a stunning collection of work.

Congratulations to everyone who took part and thank you for sharing your creativity with us. Please see the other post with Laura the winner of the challenge and her lovely piece.

We also said goodbye to Sandlin, who is returning home to the USA. Sandlin has been a valued member of our group, and we have greatly enjoyed her friendship, enthusiasm and contribution to the branch. We wish her safe travels, happiness and many enjoyable quilting adventures in the future. She will be greatly missed.

18/09/2026

13/09/2026

Winners of this year's challenges were. Viewers choice. Agnes who won the Bernadette Falvey trophy for her piece in the National Park exhibition.
Laura won our branch challenge back in May for her interpretation of "Gatherings"
Congratulations to both of our very talented members.

13/09/2026

A look back at our recent exhibition at The Connemara National Park. These are some of the beautiful patchwork and quilting pieces created by our members Thank you to everyone who visited and helped make the exhibition such a success. 🌟🪡🧵

06/09/2026

When Mary McCarty visited Inis Oírr from the US with her daughter in 2003, she never would have expected she’d make the Galway island her home over 20 years later, nor that she would build a thriving quilt-making business there.

Her daughter Alyssa met a man from Inis Oírr, Michael, who would later become her husband. 'She moved here with him, so I came back to visit her every year,' Mary explained. A few years in, Mary was staying in a house owned by Michael on the island, where she met her own future husband, Pat Quinn from Longford.

'I literally met him in the kitchen. We were kind of looking at each other like, ‘who are you? What are you doing here.?' “He was always here and I would see him again every time I visited and be like, ‘hey’! Finally at one point he was like, ‘don’t go back. Just stay here!’. We both knew we wanted to stay here and stay here together.'

Mary, 76, says the adjustment wasn’t entirely easy. 'Before here, I had never lived anywhere but Wisconsin. My mom, when I moved here, she said ‘well, you’re 57 I guess you can do what you want!’ It was absolutely an adjustment. Wisconsin isn’t big but it’s still America.'

Sewing and crafts were already a passion of Mary’s and moving to the island allowed her the space and time to dedicate to it – eventually spawning her own quilt-making business, McQuilties.

'I think the quilts were just one thing I made. But when I came here I realised how unique it is. It’s a creative experience for me and them because you have to get on each others’ wavelength.'

She says island life has made her more concerned about wastefulness. 'Our society and the world, the way we interact with materials – we need to see stuff as precious. These things are made by a person and they’re throwing their heart and soul into it'

30/08/2026

25/08/2026

Beautiful work!!

20/08/2026

The Western Branch IPS Exhibition at the Connemara National Park Visitor Centre in Letterfrack continues from 9 to 5 each day until Sunday August 23rd. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.