Five Wonderful Days at Bord Bia Bloom 2026

After months of designing, making and preparing jewellery, Bloom finally arrived. What visitors see over five days is only a small part of the story. Behind the scenes there were months spent creating new collections, countless hours in the workshop, and then three full days on site painting, loading in, building displays, unpacking stock and transforming an empty space into my little corner of the DCCI Craft Village.

Add in 5.30am starts and five busy days welcoming visitors from 9am to 6pm, and it was certainly a marathon — but one that was completely worth it.

This year, I was incredibly honoured to be specially selected by Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) to exhibit in the Craft Village at Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland's most celebrated festival of gardening, food and sustainable living.

Set across 70 acres in the beautiful Phoenix Park, Bloom is a true celebration of Irish creativity, craftsmanship, food and horticulture. For five days, visitors explored award-winning show gardens, enjoyed talks and demonstrations, sampled delicious Irish food and discovered some of the country's most talented makers and designers.

For Bloom, I created a special collection of flora and fauna-inspired earrings exclusively for the DCCI Craft Village. Inspired by flowers, insects, birds and the beauty of the natural world, these pieces felt perfectly at home amongst the stunning gardens and colourful atmosphere of the festival.

The response was beyond anything I could have hoped for. I was delighted to meet over 100 customers who chose to take home a piece of Capulet & Montague jewellery, while hundreds more stopped by the stand for a browse, a chat or simply to learn more about

 my work. Some arrived wearing their favourite Capulet & Montague pieces, while others were discovering the brand for the very first time.

Those conversations are one of my favourite parts of what I do. Whether you were a long-time customer or a first-time visitor, thank you for taking the time to stop by. Your support, encouragement and enthusiasm for Irish design mean more than you know.

I was also fortunate to be joined by a wonderful group of fellow designers and makers, all specially selected by Design & Crafts Council Ireland to exhibit in the Craft Village. Spending five days alongside such talented, creative and supportive people was a real highlight of the event. We shared plenty of laughs, encouraged one another through the long days and celebrated the incredible response from visitors together. The sense of community amongst Irish makers is something truly special, and I feel very grateful to have been part of it.

A huge thank you to Design & Crafts Council Ireland for selecting me to be part of this incredible event and for supporting Irish makers and designers. And thank you to every single person who visited my stand, purchased a piece, shared a story, asked a question or simply stopped for a chat.

I came home exhausted, inspired, grateful and already looking forward to what comes next. What an unforgettable week!

Thank you to DCCI for having me at Bloom 2026 and for giving Capulet & Montague the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful celebration of Irish craft and design.

Lisa McCormack
Founder & Designer, Capulet & Montague