Dingle Irish Exhibit

Ireland's Dingle Peninsula Showcase

We are excited to announce that our friends from Ireland are returning. Visit the exquisite Dingle Peninsula Showcase, located in the Young Building at The Big E, highlighting some of Ireland's finest handcrafted products, and cultural and educational connections of County Kerry and West Springfield.

The Big E turns green for Halfway to St. Patrick's Day weekend, September 13-15, sponsored by Aer Lingus. Wear your green as we celebrate throughout the grounds with Irish music dancing, contests and more.

Meet the Makers

Meet the Maker’s Program is a Showcase of daily demonstrations (from 12 noon to 6pm) of crafts, spirits tastings, displays of hand-made Irish merchandise and memorabilia, as well as offering information on visiting the Dingle Peninsula. Daily video presentations offer The Big E Fairgoers a view of what experiences lie across the Dingle Peninsula’s spectacular scenery, villages, as well as the literary heritage of the Great Blasket Islands, and ‘muintir na tíre’ – the people of the place.

Meet the Makers Programming

Dingle Peninsula Businesses

Dingle Art School, a new-comer to the Pavilion, will offer fair-goers an opportunity to take a painting class during the Fair’s opening days, Sept. 16-17, when students can learn school owner Anne Lundon’s secret method of using five colors, five brushes and a palette knife to paint a frameable creation. During her four days at the Fair, people can also watch as Anne develops a commissioned painting in acrylics to commemorate West Springfield’s 250 anniversary, Sept. 14-15.
Original Kerry, another newcomer to the Dingle Pavilion, will showcase original designs from seven of 30 professional County Kerry craftworkers, displaying a curated collection of gifts, including jewelry, knitwear, cozy throws, ceramics, felting, textiles, weaves and tweeds of traditional style and skills.
Brian de Staic Jewellery, crafters of distinctive jewelry for over 40 years, features one of Ireland’s leading goldsmiths, Brian de Staic and his wife, Máiread, who opened in 1981. This is their 25th Anniversary attending The Big E! Celebrities including Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Saoirse Ronan and Laura Dern own Brian de Staic creations.
Celtic Gift House returns to The Big E for a 22nd year, offering a range of Celtic jackets, hoodies, tee shirts and baseball caps, as well as a variety of musical instruments and accessories, including tin whistles, bodhrans and guitar straps. Also available will be ELFIS and the full range of “Craic House Chopper” products that have proved a hit with The Big E Fairgoers.
Dingle Crystal, which designed and created the St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Bowls presented by the Irish Prime Minister to President Biden at The White House in 2022, 2023 and 2024, will unveil a new product called The Nightcap Set, a smart-looking stackable decanter and two tumblers available in nine different designs. Sean Daly, who apprenticed in Waterford Crystal and worked for 15 years to become a master cutter, established Dingle Crystal when Waterford Crystal moved production out of Ireland. Bringing a traditional cutting wheel, Sean followed by Jonathan will demonstrate Dingle Crystal’s original glass cutting and design at their booth.
Sacred Heart University in Dingle is Sacred Heart University’s global campus. For the last two decades, SHU in Dingle has welcomed students from universities and colleges across the US to complete semester-long and short-term study abroad programs, immersing them in the rich culture and history of this beautiful seaside town. At SHU in Dingle, students take courses across the arts and humanities, sciences, nursing, and health sciences, enriching their lives invaluably with the transformative experience and transferable skills offered by a global education.
Louis Mulcahy Pottery has been crafting pottery in the heart of the Kerry Gaeltacht since 1975. Louis, his son Lasse and a team of craftspeople hand-make everything from dainty posy jars, dinner sets and elegant lamp bases to ovenware and towering urns at their workshop located west of Dingle town on the Slea Head drive. Drop by the stand to find out more about the Pottery's extensive range of home and giftware, presentation pieces, corporate gifts, golf prizes, and wedding gifts. And visit the pavilion to see expert potter Janet give a throwing’ demonstration on a potter's wheel.
Lisbeth Mulcahy opened Siopa na bhFhíodóirí in Dingle in 1986 to showcase her personally designed, handwoven tapestries and wall hangings, as well as her range of seasonal scarves, stoles and throws woven by a small team of weavers, including her daughter Sally.
Dingle Distillery will showcase its limited Wheel Of The Year Celtic Series, and their award-winning Dingle Original Gin (the World’s Best Gin and the World’s Best London Dry Gin 2019), Vodka and Dingle Single Malt Whiskey. Built on the edge of Dingle, County Kerry, Dingle Distillery is celebrating its 12th anniversary as Ireland’s first independent, family-owned, purpose-built artisan spirits distillery in more than a century. Its spirits are available in the United States through Hotaling & Co. importers. Their limited-edition Descendants 2024 Cask Programme will be introduced and of course, their tastings of their famous Whiskey, Gin and Vodka throughout the fair.
Meet the Maker’s Program is a Showcase of daily demonstrations (from 12 noon to 6pm) of crafts, spirits tastings, displays of hand-made Irish merchandise and memorabilia, as well as offering information on visiting the Dingle Peninsula. Daily video presentations offer Big E Fairgoers a view of what experiences lie across the Dingle Peninsula’s spectacular scenery, villages, as well as the literary heritage of the Great Blasket Islands, and ‘muintir na tíre’ – the people of the place. Those attending The Big E can find out more by visiting the Fair’s website or other social platforms.
Irish Cultural Center of Western New England cultivates a connection with Ireland and generations of local Irish diaspora – many of whose ancestors left the Blasket Islands just off the Dingle Peninsula’s Atlantic coast in County Kerry. The ICC provides access to Irish-oriented lectures, concerts, exhibitions of art, artifacts and memorabilia, political discussions, international relations, GAA sports, Irish language classes, student international exchange and genealogical research. It also provides a bridge between the Irish government and the Western New England region.
Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), an Economic Development Council of Western Mass affiliate and a private non-profit destination marketing organization, promotes Western Massachusetts for meetings, conventions, group tours, sports and leisure travel. Irish immigration to New England peaked in the mid-19th century when countless families sought new opportunity and landed in Western Massachusetts, which still celebrates Irish culture and heritage -- from one of the largest and most-cherished annual St. Patrick’s Day parades in Holyoke to The Dingle Peninsula Pavilion at The Big E.
Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance is a non-profit sustainability-focused, community tourism and destination management co-operative owned and managed by its family-run businesses and community development members across Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula. Representing over 160 local businesses, their website www.dingle-peninsula.ie offers visitors the most up-to-date information to plan and enjoy a visit to the peninsula. The Alliance also offers a virtual concierge desk to answer questions or help tailor a vacation for visitors. The DPTA’s Sustainability Charter can be found here.

Ireland's Dingle Peninsula Showcase

Meet the Makers

Dingle Peninsula Businesses

A national treasure trove of fun