Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland

The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland was founded in 1895 and following a reorganisation in 1909, a new body, called the Guild of Irish Art Workers, was set up specifically for professional craftspeople. The aim of the Society was to encourage and sponsor the development of all artistic industries in Ireland. In doing so it would and did hold exhibitions of native arts and crafts. Furthermore, it promulgated instruction through lectures and designs to members and non-members alike. Provision was also made for the guild members to meet together at different centres throughout the country for the general promotion of the applied arts and of their own particular interests. Artists associated with both organisations included Ivor Beaumont, Alice Brittain, Harry Clarke, Robert Arthur Dawson, Robert May, Henry C. Morrow, Sophia Rosamond Praeger, Percy Oswald Reeves and Alice Shaw. The Guild’s name remained unchanged until 1925 when it was disbanded

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