It was reported that over €20 Billion Euro would be spent by international and domestic buyers at the 4 day annual Irish Trade Show Showcase now in it’s 4oth year.

It’s always an event people look forward to after the January Blues have set in after Christmas!

It is always a great chance for us to catch up with suppliers and the chance to look for some new ones. We were delighted to have found some new Irish made products this week we will be showcasing in the spring, some from Dingle, Donegal and Dublin. We found a very talented Potter who is going to make some beautiful pieces of pottery for our store.

 

Overall it’s wonderful to see so many new and young start – ups in Ireland, people doing what they love, making products here and exporting all over the world.

 

We love to source new products, especially those made in Donegal . Last year we had the pleasure of meeting the very talented Louise Tudor-Edmonds who designs and hand makes vintage head pieces, scarves, hats and bow ties using Donegal tweeds and beautiful laces.

Under the name of Vintage Lily Makes, Louise makes amazing one off individual Donegal tweed bow-ties, with an easy to clip double edged clip that attaches easily to any shirt.

We found it had something we’d been asked for a lot lately, tweed bow ties have been particularly popular for wedding attire, matched with a waistcoat it makes a wonderfully traditional yet contemporary look.

We have just added the bow ties to our online shop, they are lightweight and easy to ship, they are a one size so it’s just a matter of choosing your tweed of choice.

AS they are one of pieces, tweed colours may vary slightly if a tie is made to order, and they may take up to one week to be made plus postage but you can see they are certainly worth it.

 

 

 

We are often asked by customers to care for their Aran Sweaters in the shop and online.

As the sweater is made of natural fibre, it is breathable and doesn’t require to be washed as often as a cotton or polyester sweater would.  A good airing will do your sweater good and only wash it when you really need to.

When you do choose a generic hair shampoo and conditioner , wash by hand in a bath tub or basin in cool or tepid water , wash and conditioner with small quantities of each, treat your sweater like you would your hair! Dry it naturally on a towel over a table

It’s full of natural oils after all. Some machines offer a 30* degree cycle that is cool enough not to shrink a sweater but we would always advise you hand wash or dry clean if preferable, if you trust your cleaners and cover any buttons with aluminum foil to protect them. Never ever use the tumble dryer unless you want a Barbie sized sweater.

If you mind your wool garments you’ll have them for years to enjoy.

 

 

Wishing all our of customers a very Happy and Peaceful New Year ahead, thank you all for your support through 2015 and here’s to a fruitful 2016. We are expanding and we have got lots of exciting news coming in the next few months that we can’t wait to share with you all. Watch this space!

This week we wanted to showcase our Donegal Tweed Vests pictured above and modeled by Stephen. Always a great seller in store, the vests proved a huge in online sales over Christmas.

Made by Lee Valley Clothing who are based in County Cork using beautiful tweeds , these vests have a very smart fitted style. Combined with a handmade Donegal Tweed Bow tie made especially for the Donegal Shop Dublin by Vintage Lilly Makes , who are based in Donegal. The give a classic but contemporary look.

For a less formal look a grandfather shirt worn with a waistcoat is a great traditional contemporary look too.

The vests are cotton lined with a tightening belt at the back for a really fitted look as well as two front lower pockets and breast pocket, a Mullingar Pocket Watch would look good in one of these!

 

(Thanks @Guywoods for the image)

It’s the shortest day of the year, and in Dublin this morning it’s a bright and sunny morning, perfect for those lucky enough to experience the wonder that is Newgrange the oldest neolithic monument in the world older than Stonehenge or the Pyramids in Egypt.

Newgrange is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. Above the entrance to the passage at Newgrange there is a opening called a roof-box. This baffling orifice held a great surprise for those who unearthed it. Its purpose is to allow sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21st, the winter solstice.

People gather at Newgrange in the morning darkness to end the longest night of the year as people did 5,000 years before them , it’s quite a remarkable experience, so popular now there is a free lottery system for tickets to the event.

It’s a great time for reflection in what is such a hectic time of the year, to stop for a moment and appreciate out lives and families and look forward to the next season and year ahead.

 

 

While in the hairdressers recently, I was flicking through magazines past all the ads and looking for an article in The British edition of Vogue when I came across a fantastic article all about the Aran.

“The deliciously cosy, creamy coloured cabele-knitted sweater that whispers good taste – and this season no-cold winter wardrobe should be without one”.

According to Michael Kors it has “it has stood the test of time because it’s chic and practical “. The Michael Kors autumn collection featured an Aran with elbow-length sleeves and a Peter Pan collar.

A favourite in the Fifties and Sixties endorsed by Grace Kelly and Steve McQueen………..

Originating in the Aran islands, the cluster of islands off the West Coast of Ireland, winters were and are still harsh, fishing was the major source of income for the islanders and the local women hand knit Aran Sweaters to keep the fishermen warm and protected. At that time they were made from 100% untreated wool which still contained the lanolin making it quite water resistant.

Very few fisherman could swim, many families had their own distinct combination of stitches that identified family names so fishermen could be identified should they be lost and drowned and sea.

Thank you Vogue for a wonderful article on an Irish legend.

 

Made by Lee Valley in County Cork, we have been selling these stylish fitted Tweed waistcoats in store this year.

Teamed with a grandfather shirt or with a collared shirt and tweed bow tie as pictured here , the tweed waistcoat is a very smart accessory to any wardrobe.

Made using 100% Tweed outer and 100% cotton lining, they are warm and we find they are popular across the board , whether for a formal occasion or casual wear they look great with jeans.

Available now online in 2 tweed shades at €129.99.

After some research recently we discovered the history behind The Country Shop opened in Dublin in 1930 not too far away from us in Stephen’s Green Dublin 2.

A very remarkable woman called Dr. Muriel Gahan who was born in County Donegal in 1897. At the age of 29 Dr. Gahan moved to Dublin where she joined the Society of United Irishwomen in 1929 founding the Country Workers Ltd.

Dublin had been through some turbulent times in the 1920’s with the War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War, it was a wonderful time for women coming together to establish societies such as the United Irishwomen.

Her major contribution to the world of craft came in 1930 when she opened the Country Shop in a basement of a house on Stephen’s Green, with a coffee shop and restaurant on the upper floors it became a place to be in Dublin to meet and shop especially for women of the time.

This was the first time Aran sweaters went on sale in Dublin from 1930 onwards.

Dr. Gahan would visit the Aran islands and other rural areas meet the knitters personally and began buying from them directly and selling in the Country Shop.

Dr. Gahan’s inspiration for such a shop was the realisation of the lack of respect for craft workers and their need for a retail outlet for their products. Giving women in the cottage industry of knitting an outlet to sell their goods.

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We sell Aran knitwear all year round, in the Irish climate be it a chilly summer evening or windy Autumnal day they will always serve a purpose. This is the time of year when Aran knitwear really comes into it’s own. The winter is drawing in, the leaves are falling from the trees what better wardrobe accessory to have than an Irish Wool sweater.

This week we took some time out to work with the very talented Photographer Tristan Hutchinson to update our online knitwear range and we headed off to the beautiful Glendalough in County Wicklow 70km from Dublin. Asked why we didn’t go to Donegal for a photo shoot , when Glendalough is on our door step it’s hard to resist.

Glendalough meaning the “Valley of two lakes” Glendalough – renowned for an early  monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin. Monastic cemeteries and graveyards provide a wealth of history and places to visit as well as two stunning lakes provided a wonderful back drop to take photos of our Autumn/Winter range of knitwear and tweed.

Above shot Róisin is wearing a wool merino Poncho will be available in oat and charcoal and we’ll also have some other poncho style by Shades of Aran whom we blogged about last week.

We are always delighted to source new products, and this week we welcomed Shades of Aran a Donegal based company making beautiful contemporary Irish knitwear using merino wool.

Above is the natural Aran Merino wool zipper jacket which is already selling very well in store and it’s also available in a vibrant purple.

Shades of Aran always do something a little different such as this Aran hoody sweater with front pockets, a unisex garment that is also going very well for us in store, made

using Merino wool. Above is a vibrant red Merino wool cardigan with front pockets and a slight colour, available in a range of other colours in store, we found this bright colour was going well.

We are looking forward to stocking more of this range and expanding our Donegal Aran Range!