Product Design in Carlow 1971 - Present
Since 1971, Product Design in Carlow has been shaped by remarkable individuals and a strong culture of making, thinking, and innovation.
We’re proud of that legacy, and it continues.
Product Design education on SETU’s Carlow campus has a long and established history, beginning in 1971. Founded by Mr. Ken Broderick, the programme initially sat within Art and Design, with a clear emphasis on Product Design. That early ambition set the direction for what would become a distinctive and influential model of design education.
Carlow also hosted Ireland’s first NCEA Industrial Design course, building strong links with the internationally recognised Kilkenny Design Workshops (KDW). A major step forward came with the arrival of John McQueen in 1975, strengthening workshop facilities and advancing the role of 3D visualisation within the curriculum.
In 1980, the late Michael O’Grady—a distinguished graduate and two-time National Design Award winner (An Bord Tráchtála)—joined the teaching team. His work reinforced Carlow’s growing reputation and helped elevate Product Design nationally, reflecting the quality and ambition emerging from the programme at that time.
The late Peter Curran joined in 1986, further broadening the programme’s approach. His focus on the relationship between business, engineering, and creative design supported a more balanced education—one that connected design thinking to real-world contexts, industry realities, and professional practice.
From the beginning, the programme championed a studio-based education model—a progressive approach then, and still a defining feature today. The aim was always broader than skills alone: to support students in becoming capable, thoughtful people, equipped with practical life skills and the confidence to find their own paths—within design and beyond it.
That founding ethos has carried through each institutional transition: from Carlow Regional Technical College (CRTC), to Institute of Technology Carlow (ITC), and now South East Technological University (SETU).
Mr Hilary Dempsey
Design Lecturer / L8 Programme Director
Mr Hilary Dempsey is a qualified Industrial Designer with extensive experience across design education, research, and industry consultation. He is a graduate of Carlow RTC and the University of Teesside, and holds an MA in Industrial Design from the University of Central England, with a focus on interface design and user-centred design. Hilary currently leads the final year of the Product Design Innovation programme at SETU Carlow and is a researcher with designCORE, the applied design research centre. He also supervises postgraduate, research-based projects. His work is driven by a strong commitment to user-centred design research and translating insight into practical, real-world design outcomes—an approach that underpins the programme’s design process and methodologies. Areas of expertise: Product/Industrial Design, User-Centred Design, Interface & Interaction Design, Design Education, Design Process, Project Planning.