Kenmare Lace & Design

An Irish craft with international reach

The importance of preserving Kenmare Lace has perhaps never felt more timely. In July 2026, traditional Irish lacemaking found itself on one of the biggest fashion stages in the world when Carrickmacross lace featured at Paris Haute Couture Week.

Irish designer Michael Stewart, founder of Standing Ground, collaborated with lacemakers in County Monaghan to create an extraordinary couture gown made entirely from Carrickmacross lace. The finished piece was worn on the Paris runway by supermodel Kristen McMenamy, bringing a centuries old Irish craft before an international fashion audience. The attention surrounding that moment created a renewed interest in Ireland's other great lacemaking traditions too. Here in Kenmare, Nora Finnegan of Kenmare Lace and Design Centre, subsequently found herself speaking about Kenmare Lace to international media, including The Times in London and British Vogue.

For a tradition born in a small town in County Kerry more than 160 years ago, that international interest is remarkable, but perhaps it should not surprise us. Kenmare Lace has always travelled far beyond Kenmare. Its work has been exhibited internationally, admired for generations and associated with some of the finest craftsmanship to emerge from Ireland. What makes it even more extraordinary is that the knowledge required to create it still survives here in the town where it began.

A New Chapter for Kenmare’s Story

This week we were delighted to accompany internationally renowned Irish artist Maser on a walk through Kenmare as he begins immersing himself in the town, its stories and its heritage ahead of the commissioned creation of his new mural this September. Maser’s work has taken him around the world, with major murals, installations and exhibitions from Paris and London to New York, Los Angeles and Sydney, making it particularly exciting to see him now turning his attention to Kenmare.

One particularly special stop was the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre, where Nora Finnegan shared the extraordinary story of Kenmare Lace and demonstrated the painstaking skill involved in creating it. There was something wonderful about watching a traditional Kenmare art form, passed down through generations, being explored by one of Ireland’s leading contemporary artists as he prepares to create a new piece of Kenmare’s story. ‘I love Nora and her passion for Kenmare Lace, I could listen to her talking about it all day’, said Maser. Past inspiring present, heritage inspiring something new.

Kenmare Lace, a Thread Through the Generations

There are some stories that belong so completely to a place that they become woven into its identity. In Kenmare, one of those stories is quite literally woven by hand. Kenmare Lace is one of our town’s great living traditions. This week, as preparations continue for the exciting new mural coming to Kenmare this September, artist Maser spent time exploring the town and learning more about its history, heritage and people. One particularly special stop was the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre, where Nora Finnegan introduced him to the extraordinary story of Kenmare Lace and demonstrated the painstaking skill involved in creating it. And it is quite a story.

Born from difficult times

The origins of Kenmare Lace can be traced to the years following the Great Famine, which had a devastating impact on Kenmare and the surrounding countryside. The Poor Clare Sisters arrived in Kenmare in 1861, invited by the parish priest, Fr John O’Sullivan, initially to establish a school. With poverty and unemployment widespread, particularly among women, the sisters sought practical ways of helping local families to earn an income. An industrial school was established and local girls and young women were taught skills including embroidery, drawing, design and lacemaking. What began as a means of providing employment developed into something remarkable.

Kenmare became renowned for its exquisite needlepoint lace and, crucially, for its own distinctive designs. Connections were established with the Cork School of Art and the Kensington School of Art in London, and Kenmare designs began winning prizes and acclaim internationally.

Kenmare Lace travelled far beyond our little town.

It appeared at exhibitions, royal occasions and important ecclesiastical events. Queen Victoria ordered pieces of Kenmare Lace on several occasions and examples of this extraordinary craftsmanship eventually found their way into collections around the world. But changing fashions, two World Wars, emigration and economic change gradually brought the industry into decline. For a time, it looked as though the tradition might disappear altogether.

Then came Nora

In 1989, Nora Finnegan became involved in a local development initiative aimed at creating opportunities in Kenmare. By then Kenmare Lace was no longer being produced and Nora discovered that only three of the Poor Clare nuns in St Clare’s Convent still knew the techniques. Nora approached the convent with an idea. Would the sisters teach a group of local women how to make Kenmare Lace? The answer was no. But what happened next would ultimately ensure the survival of the craft. One of the sisters, Sr Frances, offered instead to teach Nora and her message was simple, ‘I will show you and you can pass it on’, and that is exactly what Nora did.

After her lessons with Sr Frances, Nora passed what she had learned to other local women. A local cooperative was established and, slowly but surely, Kenmare Lace began to be made in Kenmare once again and more than three decades later, Nora is still passing it on.

Keeping the thread unbroken

Today, upstairs in the Heritage Centre in The Square, the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre preserves not only examples of this beautiful craft but the knowledge required to actually make it. The original designs created by the Poor Clare nuns in the 1800s have survived and continue to inspire the lace made today. Visitors can see examples of Kenmare Lace and other Irish lacemaking traditions, learn about their history and, most importantly, watch the craft being demonstrated by people who understand how it has been handed from one generation to another. That continuity is incredibly special. The knowledge travelled from the Poor Clare sisters to Nora, from Nora to other Kenmare lacemakers, and through demonstrations, workshops and teaching, onwards to another generation.

Looking towards the future

That is why the future of the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre matters so much. Kenmare Tourism is delighted to be working alongside Kerry County Council, Nora and the Lace and Heritage committee as efforts continue to secure and support the future of this important collection, craft and visitor experience here in Kenmare. This heritage belongs here. It is part of the story of our town, its women, its creativity and its resilience.

And there was something particularly lovely this week about watching Nora show Maser the traditional techniques and designs as he prepares to create an entirely new piece of art for Kenmare. An art form handed down from the 19th century meeting a contemporary Irish artist in 2026. Past inspiring present. And perhaps that is exactly what living heritage should be.

The Kenmare Lace and Design Centre is located upstairs in the Heritage Centre, The Square, Kenmare. Visitors can see original designs, historic pieces and locally made lace, with demonstrations and workshops also available.

Discover more about the history and craft of Kenmare Lace at the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre https://kenmarelace.ie/