Cranking up the skills

Crank House, a restored Georgian townhouse in Banagher, Co Offaly, will host a traditional skills festival next Friday to Sunday (August 22nd-24th).

This is in celebration of a year-long revival of heritage crafts in the midlands county. Over three days, adults and children can sign up for classes in pottery, dry stone walling, patchwork, batik and felting, and watch spinners and willow weavers at work.

To complete the focus on the heritage of the area, visitors and locals can go on a tour of churchyard graveyards, with a focus on stone carvings on historic tombs (Friday at 6.30pm) or join a 20km countryside cycle (Saturday, 10.30am). See traditionalskills.ie for more details.