Rathlin Island Hosts Northern Ireland's First Island Repair Café.

Rathlin Island has made history by hosting its first official Repair Café – the first on any island in Ireland and only the second of its kind across the UK. Held at the Ebb & Flow Café on 5 April, the bustling event brought together island residents and skilled volunteers for an inspiring afternoon of fixing, learning, and community connection.

The Repair Café was facilitated by the Future Island-Island project and delivered in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) and the Rathlin Development and Community Association (RDCA). Rooted in Rathlin's long-standing culture of resilience and self-sufficiency, the event celebrated repair as a way of thinking and living more sustainably.

Expert fixers from Tools For Solidarity, Portstewart Men's Shed, South Down Repair Café, Cornfield Men’s Shed, and Heron Bros shared their time and skills to breathe new life into old or broken objects – from knitting machines and antique clocks to worn garden tools and even a marine lamp.

Over the course of the day, 32 items were brought in to be assessed; 23 were repaired on the day, 8 were fixable with more time or parts and only one item was beyond repair. Thanks to these efforts, 139kg of waste was saved from landfill, and an estimated 1,554kg of CO₂ emissions prevented.

Professor Ian Montgomery, Dean of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Ulster University, Project Theme Lead on the Future Island-Island project and NIRN Board Member, spoke about the significance of this work:

"Repair culture is about more than fixing things; it's about recognising the value in what we already have, reducing waste and creating systems of reuse that challenge throwaway norms. Rathlin has long embodied these values. This Repair Café is a celebration of that heritage and a step toward a more sustainable and community-led future."

Eimear Montague, Executive Director at the Northern Ireland Resources Network, added:

"Repair Cafés provide an excellent platform to share skills and empower people to repair, reuse and rethink waste. We're delighted to help bring this landmark Repair Café to Rathlin and to see it embraced by the local community. It's a testament to what can happen when care, creativity and collaboration come together."

The event is part of the Future Island-Island project, a consortium led by Ulster University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project explores design and digital technologies for eco-friendly waste management and sustainable tourism in Northern Ireland, with Rathlin Island at the heart of its innovation.

Alongside repairs, visitors could interact with other activities from the project. A 3D printing station showed how technology can support creative fixes by printing broken parts, with live demos recreating a printed puffin head. There was also a chance to explore how Rathlin wool is being repurposed into valuable resources such as sustainable rope and view extracts from oral histories celebrating the island's rich history of resourcefulness. Live visual minutes by More Than Minutes mapped the day's themes of resilience, repair and skill-sharing as they unfolded.

The success of Rathlin's first Repair Café highlights the growing movement for sustainable practices across Northern Ireland and opens the door for island-based repair initiatives rooted in local knowledge, creativity, and care.

NOTES

1) Statistics from Northern Ireland Resources Network.

2) Future Island-Island

Future Island-Island is one of four £4.625m UK Green Transition Ecosystems and part of the flagship funding strand of the £25M AHRC Future Observatory: Design the Green Transition programme. Led by Ulster University, in partnership with Queen's University, The Glasgow School of Art, and the University of the Arts London, the project aims to explore innovative design and digital technologies for eco-friendly waste management, sustainable tourism practices, and new possibilities for education and policy-making that will benefit everyone.

Please note: The Future Island-Island project received a grant of £4.625m to support research initiatives that involve Rathlin Island. The funding is for the development and exploration of these research activities and not directly allocated to the island community itself.

Find out more about the project on our website www.futureisland-island.org or on our social channels:LinkedIn: @Future Island-Island | Instagram: @futureislandisland | Facebook: @Future Island-Island | Bluesky: @futureislandisland.bsky.social

3) Northern Ireland Resources Network

Northern Ireland Resources Network aims to create a Northern Ireland where reuse and repair is integrated into everyday life. Through education, collaboration, and communication, we work across communities to normalise these activities, inspiring and empowering people to embrace a more circular lifestyle.

4) Photography credits: Neal Campbell