This episode we are talking to representatives from maker spaces from all over the island of Ireland. 

Benchspace Cork - Maeve Murphy

Benchspace is an open access factory offering industry grade tools, technology and business support for professional makers & creative start-ups. We know there’s more to running a creative business than being creative. Our programmes give creatives the tools they need to turn an idea or skill into a successful enterprise. Through a series of enterprise workshops, peer networking, mentorship and industry-engagement opportunities, benchspace helps creatives navigate all aspects of developing a creative livelihood

Maeve is a passionate advocate for Irish craft and design, Maeve brings with her a breadth of experience spanning arts management and practice.  Maeve is a Board member of the Design and Craft Council Ireland.

Farset Labs - Artemiy Kondratiev

Farset Labs Hackerspace is a community funded and volunteer operated charity, opened in 2012 as a place for creativity and technological tinkering. We’re open to everyone, no matter what you do, and we welcome people from all walks of life to use our space, come to our events and get involved with the maker community in Northern Ireland.

Art is a self-taught professional in the technology industry with a specialisation in cyber security, and long-time hackerspace member - learning, making and sharing in Belfast.

Fab Lab Maker Hub, Leitrim - Stuart Lawn 

Fab Lab Maker Hub is a digital fabrication training facility providing individuals and creative industries with access to a wide range of digital fabrication technologies such as 3D Printers, Laser Cutters, Vinyl Cutters, CNC and Open Source Electronics. Founded in 2014 by Stuart Lawn, Leo Scarff and Ali Farrell, the Fab Lab has delivered hands-on workshops and digital fabrication training courses across the North West and works closely with the regional enterprise offices, schools and libraries to promote creativity and innovation in art, craft and design.  

Stuart worked as an audio engineer in the music industry in London before moving to Ireland in 1999 where he co-founded a business providing equipment, system design and support to the film and TV industries. After moving to Leitrim in 2012 his life long love of tinkering with technology led him to the Fab Lab movement that was starting in Ireland. This drove him to create the first Fab Lab in the North West of Ireland, which itself was only the third Fab Lab in the Republic. 

This episode we have 3 Makers talking about their experiences making in isolation during Covid-19. If you have experiences about making/crafting in isolation, share it with us in the comments below or on Twitter or Instagram.  

Note: Apologies about the sound quality.

OUR GUESTS

Ian Carey: Hi, my name is Ian! I am a professional engineer and maker from Ireland. I spend most of my spare time making all kinds of things and writing about them. You can find videos about some of the stuff I make here. Check out my website if you want to see more of what I do. If you like my work, consider supporting me on Patreon. 

Namrata Chaudhary: I'm Namrata. I'm a senior systems engineer at Zendesk by profession but a huge creative person at heart. I love to bake, knit and occasionally paint and do jute weaving. I moved to Ireland in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and it was really hard to socialise and make friends or meet new people during that time. I took on more serious knitting projects at the time to keep me occupied. I can be very goal oriented so it worked out well for me. I also lost my grandmother later in the year, and she was the one who taught me how to knit and cook. A part of me feels very connected to her every time I work on a project, however small. Baking, on the other hand, has been extremely rewarding for me (and the people around me, let's be honest haha). I was inspired by Claire Saffiz's words "There are no “just cooks” out there, I am convinced. There are only bakers who haven’t been converted yet. 

Heather Reid: I've been crafting on and off for several years. My mum is a seamstress so we've always been working on some kind of project when we had the chance. My husband and I had worked on a few pieces of furniture upcycling before this too. Lockdown saw us take on our biggest projects to date though. This was largely because we had much more time on our hands but it gave us a welcome distraction from the news and doom scrolling too.

ABOUT IRISH MAKERS PODCAST

In this episode we are fortunate enough to have 3 professional prop makers with us to discuss the world of setting up a prop making business and working on film and tv.

Our guests

ABOUT IRISH MAKERS PODCAST

If you are interested in showing what you make or have a story to share, drop us an email: [email protected]

Welcome to our first episode of The Irish Makers Podcast! We will be discussing the world of conventions and cosplay, from humble costumes and sewing, to 7 foot behemoth dragons. 

Our guests 

ABOUT IRISH MAKERS PODCAST 

If you are interested in showing what you make or have a story to share, drop us an email: [email protected]

From Satellites to Salvage Artists we cover all aspects of making, right here at the Irish Makers Podcast. Join us as we explore how Crafters, Makers, Builders and Hobbyists explore their passion and create amazing items !   

If you are interested in showing what you make or have a story to share, drop us an email: [email protected]