Repair Club is back, and so are our friends from Lovelace Space. Repair Club is an ongoing series where you learn to repair household items, and for this edition we’re learning to repair bras. They can fail in a number of ways, from broken wires to failing hooks, and rather than sending them to landfill, let’s bring them back to ilfe.
From 7pm on Thursday 5th November, we’ll look at how to keep wires in their place, how to replace them, how to swap out the hooks and eyes, and other ways bras can be repaired. Parts will be provided apart from replacement wires (but we’ll organise ordering a batch of them to be collected at a later date after making sure we’re ordering the right size).
If you’ve never touched a sewing machine, this is not the class to start, but if you’ve wielded a zigzag stitch before, then sign right up! Grab that stash of bras you’ve been meaning to figure out how to fix, and join us!
Climate Action Week runs from 12 to 18 October, and TOG is taking part with three events focused on repair, reuse and sharing practical skills.
At TOG, that can mean opening up a broken appliance, making an existing piece of clothing more useful, or helping someone build the confidence to try a repair themselves. Keeping things in use for longer helps reduce waste and the need for replacements. It is also a good reason to get people together and share what we know.
Our friends from Lovelace Space are joining us for a workshop on adding pockets to clothes you already own. Tríona and Maria will guide you through hand and machine sewing techniques, using reused materials sourced from Change Clothes.
No sewing experience is needed. Bring a freshly laundered garment that could do with a pocket or two. The workshop costs €5, covering materials and a small contribution towards TOG’s running costs.
Our member Jeffrey Roe will lead a repair workshop hosted by Portlaoise Men’s Shed as part of the Laois Climate Action Festival. It is a chance to share practical repair skills and help more people give everyday items another chance. This session is for Men’s Shed members and is free to attend. The link above opens the event’s page in the festival programme.
Bring along a broken or worn item and work with our volunteer fixers to see what can be done. We can take a look at clothes, toys, small appliances, electronics and small furniture. PAT safety testing for electrical devices will also be available, along with tea, coffee and tours of the space.
The event also marks International Repair Day, joining communities around the world in celebrating repair.
We are members of Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI), which supports community organisations working on reuse, repair and recycling. These events put that shared approach into practice: keeping useful things in use, sharing skills and helping people take action together.
The two Dublin events take place at TOG Hackerspace, Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 CF6V. Follow the event links above for full details and booking.
Have something broken at home that you keep meaning to sort out? Bring it along to our next Repair Café at TOG Hackerspace this Saturday, 17 October, from 12 noon to 4pm.
The day is also International Repair Day, and our event is part of Climate Action Week, which runs from 12 to 18 October. A good excuse to tackle that broken lamp, troublesome kitchen gadget or toy that has stopped doing its thing.
At a Repair Café, you sit down with a volunteer fixer and work together to see what can be done. We bring the tools and repair know-how, and you bring your item and a bit of curiosity. You do not need any repair experience.
We can take a look at things like clothes and accessories, toys, small electrical appliances, electronics and small furniture. If your item needs a charger, power supply or another part to work, please bring that along too.
Safety testing for electrical devices, known as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), will also be available.
Sometimes a repair is straightforward. Sometimes it takes a little investigation. We cannot promise to fix everything, but we will do our best and help you understand what might be needed next.
You can have a go at repairing your item or watch and learn over a tea or coffee. TOG members will also be on hand to give you a tour of the space while you wait.
Repairing things keeps useful items in use for longer, reduces waste and saves the resources needed to make replacements. It can also save money and help us learn practical skills. Every Repair Café brings people together to share what they know and give a few more things another chance.
When: Saturday 17 October 2026, 12 noon to 4 pm
Where: TOG Hackerspace, Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 CF6V
We’re taking the TOG repair tools to Phibsboro this Saturday, 3 October, for BuzzFest.
BuzzFest is Phibsboro Village Tidy Towns’ community, sustainability and biodiversity festival. We’ll be running a Repair Café where you can bring along a small broken item and sit down with a volunteer to see what can be done. Small electrical appliances, electronics, toys, jewellery and clothing are among the things the Repair Café can look at.
The idea is to work on the item together. We can’t promise every repair will succeed, but we’ll give it a good look and help you understand what might be wrong.
The festival is free to visit, with stalls, talks, workshops, music and food throughout the afternoon. Please book a Repair Café slot in advance, as space at the repair tables is limited.
Event details
When: Saturday 3 October 2026, 12:30 pm to 4 pm
Where: Panama Scout Hall, Royal Canal Bank, Phibsborough, behind Phibsboro Library
We are taking the TOG repair tools on the road again.
On Thursday 17 September, TOG volunteers will be at Ace Enterprise Park in Bawnogue for a free Repair Café. The event is part of The Autumn Reset, Ace Enterprise Park’s Circular Economy Week.
Do you have a broken household item sitting at home? Bring it along and see if we can help give it another chance.
At a Repair Café, the idea is not simply to hand something over to be fixed. You sit down with a volunteer repairer, open it up together and try to work out what has gone wrong. We cannot promise that everything can be repaired, but we will give it a good look and hopefully share some useful skills along the way.
Repair Cafés help keep useful items in service for longer, reduce waste and make repair a little less mysterious.
Event details
Date: Thursday 17 September 2026
Time: 12:00 to 16:00
Location: Ace Enterprise Park, Bawnogue, Dublin 22
Eircode: D22 P6E8
Cost: Free
Free parking is available on site.
Full details and free registration are available on Eventbrite.
Read all about our member Jeffrey‘s trip to The Circular Square.
On Saturday 5 September I put my bicycle on an Irish Rail train in Dublin and headed south to Clonmel. With the bike safely in its rack and the panniers packed, it was a pleasantly straightforward start to a three-day trip running through to Monday 7 September.
The main reason for travelling was a weekend of repair and Linux workshops at The Circular Square. Around that, I had plans for some cycling, portable amateur radio and a little monument photography. It sounds like several different weekends packed into one, but they fitted together rather well.
