We love our Aran sweaters here in Ireland. It’s a treasured piece of the wardrobe that perhaps you invested in, or maybe, it was handed down to you from a relative that knew the value of having a well-made Aran knit.

Either way, there’s no need to tell us how versatile and eye-catching the Aran sweater can be.

Hollywood however? Well, that’s a different story.

Since donning a traditional Aran in his latest film, Knives Out, the golden boy of film Chris Evans as ensured that our the beloved jumper went viral, with thousands resharing tweets of the heartthrob wearing his.

Labelled as this year’s ultimate gift for guys (and gals! who says the boys get all the fun), the official twitter account of the film even held a competition to give away 100 of our favourite knits to fans worldwide!

We’ve chosen two of our favourite Aran jumpers below that anyone hoping to mimic Chris Evan’s Hollywood style needs in their wardrobe, pronto!

Ladies Aran Knit

Mens Aran Knit 

Another year has been and gone and Black Friday is finally upon us.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all our wonderful customers for their continued support over the year.

Without wonderful people choosing to shop small and shop local, we, like a lot of other small businesses wouldn’t be here.

We’d like to encourage you all today on Black Friday, to remember the smaller business offering whatever discounts they can to their customers as a form of appreciation.

Use the code THANKYOU for 10% off your purchase.

We’ve put together a sample of some of our top picks for the festive period, both online and in-store.

1) Iggy’s Donegal

Treat someone special to an Iggy’s Donegal calendar this Christmas, featuring photos of Iggy and his photographer owner James O’Donnell as they travel around the country!

2)An Orwell and Browne Bow Tie

We love the bowties from @orwellandbrowne. They make a great Christmas gift for the person in your life who loves a fashion statement.

3) Traditional Irish Language Wall Art 

This seanfhocal, or Irish proverb, is used to express good wishes to those departing on a journey or starting a new venture: may the road, or the journey, be successful for you. Vibrant typography is overlaid onto a black and white photograph of Mount Errigal, which is the highest mountain in County Donegal, Ireland.

4)A McNutt of Donegal Throw

Homeowners everywhere should own a @mcnuttofdonegal throw. These guys are super versatile and work great in any interior setting. They make the perfect gift!

5)McKnutt of Donegal Baby Blanket

The McNutt of Donegal Baby Blanket is made using the finest of 100% Merino Lambswool soft to the touch and perfect to wrap up newborns and cover them in warmth and softness. Each blanket comes in a McNutt gift box making it the perfect gift to give. Each blanket is designed and made with love in the seaside village of Downings on Donegal’s Wild Atlantic Way, using their surroundings for some wonderful inspiration.

We’re so proud to be a stockist of so many wonderful Irish brands. Stocking high quality, traditional and unique Irish made pieces is at the heart of what we do, so today we wanted to talk you through some of the brands you can expect to find online and in-store at the Donegal Shop.

1) McNutt of Donegal

Located in the seaside village of Downings, on Donegal’s Wild Atlantic Way, McNutt of Donegal have been producing some of the world’s finest weaves for over 60 years.

Every collection is designed in-house by a dedicated team of talented designers who remain constantly inspired by the rugged coastline and nature’s playground that surrounds them. 

Using only the very best quality wool, combined with excellent local craftsmanship, McNutt of Donegal create something very special every day.

2) Irelands Eye Knitwear
Irelands Eye has always been about a deep sense of kinship and an inseparable connection to a place. 

Three generations of the same family and a devoted, talented crew of workers (many with a quarter century’s history with the company) all working to build a vibrant international knitwear brand. 

Over the past 40 years, we’ve combined a traditional Irish knitwear heritage with the very best of European design. The results are now sold in over 20 countries across the globe.

3) Orwell and Browne
Orwell & Browne is an award winning Irish heritage brand creating luxurious handmade Donegal tweed products.

Founder Catriona Mc Ginley launched the company in late 2014. The craft of weaving tweed fabric has been a tradition in her family for the past three generations and with a love for textiles and design she has created a range of products using traditional materials but with a contemporary twist.

Each product is designed and handmade in Ireland using locally sourced Donegal tweed fabric which has been inspired and designed to capture the colours and textures of the Irish land and seascapes. 

4) Aine Knitwear
Áine was established at the turn of the century by fashion designer Áine Behan.

Growing up on the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland has deeply influenced Áine.

The strong family heritage of knitting ensured that Áine was immersed in the craft as she watched the women of her family instinctively knit Aran sweaters without patterns or guides, having mastered the craft from the previous generations.

This experience created in Áine a love of knitwear that continues to inspire her to this day. 

June is merely days away and we are well and truly celebrating summer here in the Donegal Shop.

Anyone who has ever visited us in store know how magical the summer months can be working in St. Stephens Green. Filled with happy, exploring tourists, families out for the day and smiling faces.

To celebrate summer, we’ve got a 10% off discount code, THANK YOU, to be used at checkout to treat yourself to some new summer pieces.

Check out our top picks below:

1) Our Aran Kids Cardigan with ceramic buttons is the perfect shade of green to aid the autumn wardrobe transition. Made in County Mayo using 100% merino wool, it’s super-soft to the touch and a great addition to little one’s wardrobe.

2) Sure where would we be if we didn’t mention the absolute necessity for a cosy blanket, ideal for snuggling up watching the sunset on the beach this summer? We love a good blanket! Be it fleecy, tweed, linen or cotton, we’d have them all if we could. These are our pick of the season for sure.

3) These 100% Irish cotton grandfather shirts are made here in County Cork, Ireland and are a lovely, summery alternative to a full-on dressy suit. It buttons through fully with a breast patch pocket, it’s a relaxed fit, nice and light in style. Suitable as work wear or casual wear too!

Last week we had the pleasure of attending and sponsoring the latest of in a long line of incredible events that are run and organised by the tweeting goddess, Samantha Kelly.

The Womens Inspire Network met at Harveys Point in Donegal and gathered together exceptional women from all over the country, business coaches, social media advisors and many business owners, large and small.

There was a fantastic buzz surrounding the event and a truly incredible bunch of people gathered together on the day.

It’s getting super chilly outside of late and secretly we’re loving the opportunity to get all snuggled up in our knits.

For that reason, we’re taking 10% off all knitwear online and in-store and we’re pulling together our top picks for your perusal. 

All our knitwear is made right here in Ireland and features traditional features from Irish design. Snap up a bargain and make sure to shop the sale!

 

Have you noticed we’ve gone into winter reductions online and in store?

We’ve reduced lots of wonderful, classic, traditional pieces just in time for Christmas.

We’ve complied our top 5 favorite finds in our special offers section for your perusing pleasure.

1) The Aran Ladies Poncho.

This beautiful poncho features a stunning cowl neck, with buttons running down the side, making it a super unique piece to invest in.

The pattern used throughout this poncho is a mix of the traditional Irish cable stitches and honeycomb stitch.

Comfortable and easy to wear this piece is extremely versatile for the wearer, and makes any outfit complete.

2) The Aran Sweater.

This traditional Aran sweater is 100% Wool.

Aran sweaters originate from the Aran islands, and they depict different family names or certain areas, so if a fisherman was lost at sea they could be identified by their Aran.

We’d wear this beauty comfy and casual with a pair of boots and some jeans!

3) The Clodagh Mucros Tweed Cape and Hat

This beautifully crafted Irish Tweed cape and hat features stylish detailing and has an adjustable, flattering fit.

Made from 100% wool and crafted right here in Ireland by Muscros Killarney, this set is a wonderful addition to any wardrobe.

4) The Ribbed Shawl Cardigan

Made from 100% merino wool, this shawl cardigan is knit using the super traditional ribbed stitch.

With the shawl cardigan design, antique look buttons and patch pocket means its a super fashionable piece.

5) The Aran Wool Hat and Scarf 

The 100% Merino Wool Aran Hat & Scarf Set make a great gift. The scarf features the popular Honeycomb stitch throughout and comes in nuetral parsnip colour.

The Aran Hat comes in parsnip too with an attractive fleck through it. It’s  great gift for the colder months too!

Working your way through that Christmas list can be hard. With so many to buy for and so little time over the Christmas period to get it done, shopping can be a big pain.

So with all that in mind we want to lighten the load here at the Donegal Shop, so we’ve put together THE Christmas gift guide for our lovely customers.

Shopping for Dad

Make sure you’ve got one of our grandfather shirts wrapped up under the tree this Christmas. They’re extra soft to the touch and the vintage flannel design gives them a super traditional vibe.

Shopping for Mum 

On chilly mornings like this morning, our Bernie Murphy Art Ardara three-way wrap scarf is divine, the perfect gift for a stylish Mum!

Shopping for Nan

We know it’s Christmas when we reach for our comfy and cosy Aran knit cardigans to banish the chill. Keep your nan snug this festive season and shop our beautiful selection online now.

Shop for Grandad

Nab one of our v-neck merino wool, aran sweater made right here in Ireland in County Kildare for Grandad this Christmas. These sweaters have a super cool story behind them too. It is said these Fisherman Sweaters originated in the Aran Islands, where each stitch has a special meaning. On the sleeves you can see the diamond stitch which represents the shape of the fishing net mesh and is also a traditional symbol of wealth, success and treasure. The basket stitch runs along the centre and sides of this sweater which is said to represent the fisherman’s basket and the hope of abundant catch.

Shop for the Little Ones

Not to leave the little guys out, how cute is this Aran knit shawl collar cardigan? Pop a little shirt underneath for a dressy look.

Visit http://www.donegalshop.ie for further information on all products listed above.

The Autumn/Winter seasons are the best times of year to update your home decor and refresh your living space a little.

We’ve put together some of our favorite pieces to help you make your home that little bit cozier this winter.

The John Hanly Merino Cashmere Throw. 

We love this luxurious cashmere throw made with extra fine merino wool. It’s made by John Hanly in County Tipperary, been weaving and creating beautiful, timeless pieces since the nineteenth century. Heavier and chunkier in weight than traditional lambswool, this beautiful piece would be just perfect draped over a couch or a bedspread.

Linen Tea Towel Set

These natural linen union tea towel sets, consisting of 2 tea towels, are made with 50% linen, 50% cotton.  They feature a simple yet traditional Celtic knot design framing the towel. They make the ideal gift from Ireland for any household.

An Eddie Doherty Hand Woven Tweed Throw

An Eddie Doherty throw is something special to behold, from start to finish it takes up to a week to produce one of his throws to be completed. They are much heavier in weight than our machine-made throws and can weigh up to 2 kilo’s each of Donegal yarns that are spun on Eddie’s loom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our favourite things about autumn is changing up our wardrobes and getting to wear all of our chunky knits and oversized coats and massive scarves after a long summer.

But, we can’t forget about the little ones now, can we? We’ve pulled a selection of our the best autumn winter arrivals for the kids have compiled them all into this super handy blog post below.

1) Chunky knitted cardigans. 

Our Aran Kids Cardigan with ceramic buttons is the perfect shade of green to aid the autumn wardrobe transistion. Made in County Mayo using 100% merino wool, it’s super-soft to the touch and a great addition to little one’s wardrobe.

2) Tweed dresses.

This sweet little tweed gúna is a must have if you’re looking to add a traditional feel to your little girl’s wardrobe. They’re made right here in Dublin by Kids In Tweed, using 100% Donegal tweed by Magee.

3) The traditional Aran knit jumper

Our 100% pure merino wool jumpers are made in the traditional Aran Knit style, using a complex and beautiful combination of stitches. Grab the natural cream for a super traditional look. The best bit? They’re an investment. They’re warm and practical for all seasons!

4) Merino Wool Booties

These 100% merino wool booties, with a soft merino lining and a smooth suede exterior, are super-stylish and SO cute. Teamed with a cute pair of leggings and one of our chunky cardi’s or knit jumpers, your little one will be bang on trend this season.