A free fun and educational family day exploring one of Ireland’s most precious yet undervalued natural resources - wool - will take place at the Nature Hub in the Gap of Dunloe in Co. Kerry, next month.

The hands-on event invites families to discover the journey of wool from fleece to fabric.

Visitors will get the opportunity to try their hand at washing, carding, spinning and weaving, while learning about wool’s role in Irish heritage and its potential in a sustainable future.

Taking place on August 13 from 11:00a.m-1:00p.m, the event is being held in partnership with The Wise Wool Project and Curragmore Farm, Beaufort, Co. Kerry.

Wool, once central to rural life across Europe, is now often discarded as waste, costing the farmer more to shear the sheep than the wool is worth, the organisers said.

The Wise Wool Project highlights this growing issue and encourages creative, community-driven solutions.

Highlights of the family fun day will include: hands-on wool workshops; sustainability talks; creative crafting stations; and the opportunity to meet with local farmers, artists and educators.

The event is pitched at families curious about nature, crafts, and climate-friendly living, according to the organisers.

Those interested in attending should reserve their free spots in advance.

The Wise Wool Project is a Creative Communities initiative, funded by Creative Ireland, with support from Kerry County Council arts office.

Over the last two years, the project, in partnership with Curraghmore Farms, has delivered wool felting workshops countywide, educating people on wool as a valuable waste product.

Workshops have been provided in schools and community centres, as well as at: The Festival of Wool and Cloth; Discover Derrynane: youth clubs; the ANAM Summer programme in Killarney; and K-Fest and Féile Eile in Killorglin.

The project was spearheaded by Kerry Walker, Sandra Spethmann, and Lisa Sandow, who came together as a result of their shared interest in sustainability and the arts.

Walker runs The Nature Hub forest school, Spethmann has a background in international environmental rights, film making and sheep farming, while Sandow has a background in the arts and child mentorship.

The trio works to reimagine Ireland’s wool waste and to engage with the community in sustainable practices and solutions by reducing waste and promoting eco-friendly and circular economy practices.

According to Sandow: “Of the 7,000t of wool clipped in the Republic of Ireland per year, most of this wool went unused.

"Wool is considered a category three ‘waste product’ in Ireland.”