Ireland is known as the land of saints and scholars, but it’s also the land of craftspeople! Ireland has a long tradition of developing textile, leather, wood, and metal crafts. Knowing the history of these crafts will make you treasure them even more. Here is the brief history of some of our best-selling Irish crafts! The Irish Sweater The Irish sweater you know and love originated on the Aran Islands, off the western coast of Galway and Doolin. Off the mainland, the Aran Islands are the last point of land until you reach America; covered in stone, the stark landscape...
Ireland is old… like, really, really, really old. As Americans, I think it’s hard for us to fathom the ancient structures that are found in Ireland. I will never forget being in class with our professor and one of the American students exclaiming with awe that one of the local pubs was founded in 1811. Our professor laughed and said, “I’m Irish. 1811 was practically yesterday!” The professor had a point. In Ireland, the modern exists adjacent to the ancient. On an anthropological tour of the area that I lived, our guide pointed to an ancient neolithic tomb, two large...
