Rush Basketmaking Workshop

Join local basketmaker and Geopark Ambassador Stephen McQuaid for a unique one-day workshop exploring the endangered traditional craft of rush basketmaking. Taking place during Heritage Week in the beautiful surroundings of Belturbet Town Hall, this hands-on experience offers participants the opportunity to learn age-old weaving techniques and create their own small round rush basket using locally harvested materials.

Basketmaking is recognised as one of Ireland’s oldest crafts, yet many traditional methods have declined in recent centuries as handmade baskets have been replaced by mass-produced alternatives. While willow basketry remains widely practiced, basketmaking with Scirpus lacustris (common bulrush or club-rush), known in Irish as bogshifín, has become increasingly rare. During this workshop, Stephen will share traditional skills and knowledge while guiding participants through the process of weaving with rushes sustainably harvested from locations along the Erne waterway.

Suitable for both beginners and those with some previous weaving experience, the workshop provides all tools and materials required. As rush is a natural material that is worked while wet and may be muddy, participants are advised to wear old clothing or bring an apron.
Booking Information

Admission is free, but booking is essential. Participants must be 16 years of age or older.

To reserve a place, email basketmaking@proton.me and indicate your preferred date, 15th or 16th of August. Places are limited to eight participants per session and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Accessibility
This venue is wheelchair accessible.

In preparation for our National Heritage Week 2026 Rush Basketmaking Workshops, we invite you to come Harvesting Bulrush for Basketmaking on Saturday the 25th of July and Sunday the 26th of July.

This special participation event offers a rare opportunity to experience the first stage of the basketmaking process for yourself. Travelling by canoe on Upper Lough Erne, participants will journey to a nearby rush bed where they will spend the morning learning how to harvest bulrush using traditional methods. After lunch, we will demonstrate the essential stages of sorting, grading and preparing the rush for drying before it can be used for basketmaking.

All equipment will be provided, including canoes, wetsuits, buoyancy aids and harvesting tools.

This event is not wheelchair accessible and includes water activity.

Please be aware that participants will be travelling by canoe and then working in the water and on rough ground. If you have any mobility or accessibility requirements, please consider carefully whether this activity is suitable for your ability.

Admission: Free of charge
Booking: Essential (first come first serve)
Age Requirement: 18 years and over

For full details please visit
https://cuilcaghlakelands.org/event/harvesting-bulrush-for-basketmaking/