Interwoven quilt travels from Mayo to represent Ireland at COP30

PROJECT Dandelion and The Mary Robinson Centre have launched Interwoven - a powerful symbol of Irish solidarity and climate action - ahead of the quilt beginning its journey to Brazil.

The Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina hosted the launch of Interwoven/Fite Fuaite, a remarkable collaborative quilt created by 51 community groups across Ireland to represent the nation at COP30 in Brazil.

The initiative celebrates connection, creativity, and collective climate action.

Also known by its Irish name Fite Fuaite, Interwoven embodies Ireland’s diverse voices and shared commitment to addressing the climate crisis. Each of its 51 squares were designed by groups nationwide, capturing community stories, landscapes, and hopes for a sustainable future.

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson described Interwoven/Fite Fuaite as a 'beautiful collaboration'.

“Each quilt square carried the story of a community working for climate justice and for nature, forging a message of hope as the quilt began its journey from Ireland to Belém,” said Mrs. Robinson.

Laura Cook of Project Dandelion collected the quilt at the send-off launch where representatives from each community group gathered. She carried it to COP30, where Mrs. Robinson will participate in a series of events throughout the conference.

The quilt will be showcased at gatherings of climate and community groups before Mrs. Robinson presents it to Brazilian Climate Minister Marina Silva.

“Mrs. Robinson’s idea was inspired by a quilt Irish women sent to the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing 30 years ago,” said Ms. Cook.

“She saw that as a powerful symbol of women reaching out to other women, and this quilt shared that spirit. Each square showed that when we wove our stories together, we created something stronger and more beautiful than any of us could alone.”

Emma Donoghue, project manager at the Mary Robinson Centre, described Interwoven as “a celebration of connection between people, places, and purpose. It showed how local stories, when woven together, could carry a powerful message from Ireland to the world.”

As Interwoven departed for Brazil, the project’s organisers look to the future.

“We realised through this that there were groups working away in their own locality who had no idea that others were doing the same in the next county,” Ms. Cook added. “We wanted to create an online database of these projects - a virtual tapestry - so they could see how influential and strong they were together.”

Follow the journey of Interwoven / Fite Fuaite and explore how Irish communities wove their stories for global change here.