What spring summer I hear you say! With the weather conditions out there is seems like Ireland is still in the throes of winter, there were hail stones in Donegal & Dublin this morning.

The Aran Sweater really is a versatile garment that can be used in Ireland all year round . In Spring summer there is still a chill in the evenings, the Aran is perfect for sitting out in the garden in the evenings.

We are also coming into festival season here, while we didn’t see an Arans in Coachella, we can expect to see an annual flurry of festival goers in for their lightweight Aran in our Dublin store. The light Aran is a great weight for those living in warmer climates who may never get very cold winters, and works really well in Ireland for the summer season when you never know if you’ll get sun sea or rain.

Róisin is modelling the charcoal light Aran above. We came across this Australian Fashion Blogger called Michellestylefile.com and we love what she’s done with the Aran tramed with heels and boyfriend turn ups.

So whatever part of the world you are in, send us a photo of you in your Aran to info@donegalshop.ie the best picture gets a €50 voucher to spend online for the month of May or instagram us #aransinsummer16

We have always prided ourselves on selling genuinely Irish made products. Since we have opened in 1995 we have been renowned for selling Genuine Irish Hand Knit Arans such as the one pictured above, a label speaks volumes in this industry , if you have to ask if it’s made in Ireland it probably isn’t.

Kennedy’s Of Ardara, a favourite supplier of ours, a family business that spans over 3 generations of knitters and weavers in County Donegal, their attention to detail is impeccable with each garment knitted is signed personally by the knitter . Using the finest of Donegal Wool and local knitters their products are of a first class standard and it’s a pleasure of ours to sell their products.

You can tell a genuine Irish Hand knit sweater immediately by it’s quality and weight , over a kilo of wool can go into one garment. Each piece can take up to three weeks to make, with the wool costing over €60 and the knitters time it’s no wonder they can retail for over €250 , we insure fair trade in that all knitters receive a proper wage.

In the above picture, is another hand knit Aran we sell in the shop. Made by Magee of Donegal, another family business dating back to 1866. Made using Donegal Wool and again knit by local hand knitters, a MAgee hand knit is something special you will have for years to come . The collection of stitches in a hand knit is always a lot different to a machine made garment, the blueberry stitch above really stands out in a hand knit.

If you are thinking of investing in a hand knit email us with your measurements to orders@donegalshop.ie so we can be sure to match your size as close as is possible to our stock.

Not that we need any convincing, but this is an article in Vogue last winter on the beauty and longevity of the hand knit sweater which graces the catwalk at at least one point every year in the fashion stakes because it is an absolute classsic.