Alexis Bernstorff - Heritage Experts | Heritage in Schools

Alexis Bernstorff

Alexis Bernstorff Ross Castle Tapestry
Subject(s):
History, Arts (including Visual Art and Drama, Film and Theatre Studies), Civic, Social, Political Education (including CSPE and Politics and Society)
Counties catered for:
Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford
Classes catered for:
All year groups (post-primary)

I am one of Ireland’s leading textile conservation heritage specialists, with over 30 years’ experience conserving nationally significant historic textiles and directing large-scale community embroidery projects. Through hands-on workshops, I share my expertise in conservation, embroidery and storytelling, helping students discover how textiles preserve history, identity and cultural heritage.

Students explore the Irish shaggy mantle 'brat’, the distinctive woven cloak worn in Celtic Ireland. They discover how these cloaks were constructed, their importance in Celtic society, and how colour, weaving and decoration reflected identity and status, including the traditions associated with High Kings and druids. Students will learn traditional weaving techniques and work together to create their own cloak, connecting ancient craftsmanship with Ireland’s cultural heritage.

Students explore the history of Irish flags, military banners and guild banners, from the 1798 Rebellion through to the revolutionary period of 1916. They discover how colours, images and embroidered symbols were used to communicate identity, beliefs and belonging. Students examine how these textiles were created and the stories they carried, before designing and creating their own symbolic flag or banner using traditional embroidery techniques, imagining how people in the past represented their communities and ideals through textile art.

Students explore how clothing and textiles reflected periods of political and social change, including the French Revolution, American Revolution and Irish rebellions. They discover how dress communicated identity, status and political beliefs, from the origins of the term sans-culottes to the symbols adopted by revolutionary movements. Through examining civilian clothing, textiles and historical examples, students investigate how ordinary people experienced these events and create their own textile-based response inspired by the relationship between clothing, identity and change. Make their own rosettes, badges, head gear.

Additional Information

  • Post-Primary school visits
  • Caters for special needs
  • Provides practical/hands-on activities

Contact Details

Mobile:
085 2207706
Email:
alexisbernstorff@gmail.com