10:30 – 11:30
Maker Meet: Build a Geodesic Dome
Makermeet
The Ginormous Geodesic Dome starts the weekend by initially constructing a huge dome in the first workshop of the day on Saturday. After this first workshop, the dome becomes a weekend-long, collaborative event inviting people of all ages to share their hopes, wishes, and dreams. At the heart of the space will be a beautiful geodesic dome structure, ready to be filled with colourful messages, drawings, decorations and affirmations. Throughout the day, participants can write or illustrate their wishes and dreams on cards and cardboard, then attach them to the dome using colourful yarn and ribbons – gradually transforming it into a dazzling community artwork. This evolving installation becomes a visual celebration of imagination, unity, and shared aspirations – a place where everyone’s dreams and wishes can take shape and shine together.
Ages: All!
11:30 – 12:30
Maker Meet: Superhero Flyers
Makermeet
Join Makermeet to make your very own Superhero Flyer! This is a fun, hands-on workshop where young children get to create their very own high-flying hero. Each child will colour the front and back of their own unique design They will then carefully cut them out and glue together. Once their hero is ready, we’ll make the Superheroes soar through the air! This playful activity combines creativity, fine motor skills, and active play, as the children engage with their colourful creations to zoom, glide, and loop in the sky. It’s all about imagination taking flight!
Ages: 4+
12:30 – 13:45
Green Screen Day
Green Screen Day
In this fun and hands-on workshop, children will create their own imaginative scenes using smartphones and tablets. They’ll experiment with storytelling, drawings, and more transforming themselves into explorers, artists, and creators of their own worlds.
Ages: All!
13:45 – 14:45
Maker Meet: Cardboard Creations
Makermeet
Cardboard Creations is an open-ended, imagination-fuelled workshop where participants transform ordinary cardboard into extraordinary creations. Using sturdy reusable “Scru’s” from Makedo, along with safe tools, builders of all ages can cut, join, and shape cardboard into whatever they dream up – from towering castles and speedy race cars to whimsical creatures or pizza ovens. There are no limits, only possibilities, as creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on building come together in a fun, collaborative space. At the end, everyone can proudly showcase their unique cardboard masterpiece before taking it apart for the next great idea.
Ages: 7+
14:45 – 16:15
The Connective Detective – Build Your Own Smart City
Smart Docklands
Join us for an exciting family event and dive into the fascinating world of smart cities. This engaging, hands-on workshop invites families of all ages to explore the concept of smart cities in a fun and imaginative way. You will discover what makes a city ‘smart’ and what smart solutions are already used in Dublin. Then, using micro:bits, lego and recycling materials, you’ll get the opportunity to design and construct your very own smart city element.
Ages: This is a family event for children ages 8-12, therefore children must be accompanied by at least one adult!
16:15 – 17:45
Digital Mirror Workshop
Digital Mirror Workshop
Digital Mirror is a creative collaboration between artist Cian McLoughlin and mathematician and neuroscientist John Butler. It mixes drawing, maths, neuroscience and computing to explore how we recognise faces.
You get to draw faces with different expressions to get you thinking about how we recognise people. Then you can have your photo taken while making these expressions. A computer then processes these images using a mathematical algorithm called Principal Component Analysis. The algorithm learns the key features in all the images which can then be used by a computer to recognise and represent a face.
In the workshop we’ll show the maths of the process and how it connects to both neuroscience and portraiture. Each participant will also receive a unique “eigenface” image, a computer-generated portrait distilled from all the images, to take home as a personal artwork.
Come along the workshop is open to all, do some sketching, make some faces, learn some maths and see yourself in a whole new way!
This was workshop was initially developed as part of Cian’s artist in residence at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience which was supported by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.
The Digital Mirror is part of Maths in the Wild, a series of free maths workshops that John delivers to primary and secondary school students, as well as through TU Dublin Access and Outreach programmes.
Ages: All!
10:30 – 11:30
Maker Meet: Cardboard Creations
Makermeet
Cardboard Creations is an open-ended, imagination-fuelled workshop where participants transform ordinary cardboard into extraordinary creations. Using sturdy reusable “Scru’s” from Makedo, along with safe tools, builders of all ages can cut, join, and shape cardboard into whatever they dream up – from towering castles and speedy race cars to whimsical creatures or pizza ovens. There are no limits, only possibilities, as creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on building come together in a fun, collaborative space. At the end, everyone can proudly showcase their unique cardboard masterpiece before taking it apart for the next great idea.
Ages: 7+
11:30 – 13:00
DIY Zine-Making Workshop: Come along and MAKE your own zine!
DIY Zine-Making Workshop: Come along and MAKE your own zine!
DIY Zine-Making Workshop welcomes people of all ages to make their own personal magazine, also known as zines. Topics can include cool makery things you discovered at Dublin Maker, your favourite things as a maker, or tell us a story. The story could be IRL or imaginary (e.g. sci-fi, fantasy, magical). All you need is your imagination.
We will pull all the resulting zines and create a bumper physical zine to celebrate the amazing Dublin Maker this year. A digital version will also be published and will be shared to everyone to reminisce or for those who didn’t visit Dublin Maker, a bit of FOMO and get excited about going next year!.
Ages: All!
13:00 – 15:00
Cantonese in Ireland: Minature Flowerboard Workshop
Cantonese in Ireland
Come and join Cantonese in Ireland to explore the art of Flowerboards — a unique visual tradition from Hong Kong. In this hands-on workshop, participants will create their own mini-flowerboards using colourful materials, while learning about the history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance behind this vibrant Cantonese art form.
Ages: 7+
15:00 – 16:00
Living Beeings: Pollination Adventure
Living Beeings: Pollination Adventure
Join us for the ‘Living Beeings’ game session! The session is designed for children and teenagers.
We will shed light on the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem and the kids will be protagonists of change to improve the pollination in their gardens.
The workshop will be divided in two parts: a 5-minute presentation about bees and the rules of the game followed by a 30 to 40-minute game session.
Living Beeings: Pollination Adventure’ is a collaborative board game for 2 to 4 players. Set in the vibrant world of pollinators, players take on the roles of helpers for busy bees, working together to collect precious flower tokens. Their mission? To ensure the survival of their hive by gathering enough nectar to thrive!
Ages: 7+
16:00 – 16:45
Maker Meet: Originative Origami
Makermeet
Originative Origami is a creative workshop where participants explore the art of folding paper into beautiful, colourful structures and designs. Guided through simple step-by-step instructions, everyone will learn how to make a selection of origami creations of clever geometric designs. Along the way, participants will discover how a single sheet of paper can transform into something extraordinary with just a few folds, while enjoying the mindful, relaxing rhythm of the process. By the end, each person will have a small collection of handcrafted origami pieces to take home and treasure.
Ages: 7+
