Rejuvenating in Ireland's Ancient East

For all that I love to be active, I'm ever mindful that inactivity is the vital other side of the coin. A few days out at the end of a hard winter is a great boost and this year I was delighted to visit Ireland's Ancient East on some of the sunniest February days on record!  With its soft colours and contours, it  was quickly evident that this was going to be a perfect destination to rejuvenate from winter weariness.

I am amazed that the stunning Wicklow Mountains had taken so long to come onto my travelling radar.  The ancient monastic settlement of Glendalough nestled in their heart has been a place of peace and tranquility for at least 1000 years!  How lucky I was to experience this on a glorious clear blue sky day with only a handful of fellow visitors.

The Great Sugar Loaf mountain is a draw to the eye from many a stunning County Wicklow viewpoint.  Named for it's conical shape like a pile of sugar, it would undoubtedly have been a key landmark for pilgrims of times past,

Of course there is always a textile story or two to be unearthed anywhere with a history of humans in a typically chilly climate!  My first tale took little tracking down, as Avoca is known worldwide for their wool textile production.  Weaving from the 18th century to produce cloth for workers in the local copper mines, the Avoca Mill in the same name town and alongside the same name river, is still a working mill today.  

Vibrant colour and designs are the hallmark of Avoca textiles and these can be found in spades at their working mill and shop in Avoca village. While today the colours for their textiles come from commercial dye methods, the origins of their vibrant colour palette are very much steeped in nature.

Three sisters, Emily, Winifred and Veroncia Wynne, were first responsible for introducing colour into hitherto functional textiles produced at the mill until the 1920s.  Together they developed a walled garden in their local home to grow natural dye plants and installed vats to test the resulting plant and vegetable dyes before introducing to the mill.

The growth of Avoca was passed in the 1970s into the care of Donald and Hillary Pratt who continued to expand the company for the next 30 years.  A little of the Avoca company history can be found in their museum next to the working mill and it is also possible to glimpse production methods.

My second and unexpected textile find came when I spotted a few balls of tactile 'Cushendale' wool at the back of  Glendalough Woollen Mill .  It took minimal research to unearth Cushendale Woollen Mill, one of the oldest mills in Ireland that is still spinning and weaving with Irish wool.  Their story starts back in the 13th century when Cistercian monks built a mill to make use of the pure water supply from the River Duiske that flows through Graig na Manach.

The lack of lime in the water is still key to the success of the dyeing of Cushendale yarn and these boucle throws are just a few from their vibrant colour palette.

Their knitting yarn range includes double knit, boucle, lace and chenille.  All balls of wool are compelling to touch (and buy), however, what made Cushendale wool all the more special was being fortunate to spend a little time chatting with current mill owner Philip Cushen about production practices and the company's history.

While machinery plays a big part in 21st century mill operations, Philip explained that there is a limit to how quickly wool can be spun and woven.  In reality older machinery can be much easier to deal with when it breaks down, as replacement parts can be more easily come by than a failed computer system.  What really engaged me with Cushendales was the fact that there is a human contact with every stage of the process and those who work the machinery and dye vats are incredibly skilled.

I was also delighted to see a range of long serving stitching machinery and shop assistant Kathleen was very happy to demonstrate a much loved Mitsibishi industrial sewing machine that she tells everyone she has 'put her name on'.  I know from my own machine experiences that getting attached to the tools of your trade is very easy.

Keeping up with the times and the closure of other wool businesses has meant that Cushendale now has to sometimes look further afield for supplies.  However, what an achievement that many of their fibre products are still made with Irish wool.  They have a delightful shop next to the mill at Graig-na-Managh where yarn, fibre, fabric and textile goods will tempt anyone who loves wool textiles as I do.

My third and final woolly Irish adventure was to see the Ros Tapestry at New Ross.  These large wool embroideries have been work in progress for 150 South East stitchers for the past 20 years.  Started as a project by St Mary's Church in New Ross to depict Irish Norman history, this project developed a life of it's own and is now on display in a new home on New Ross Quay.

Worked in just a handful of stitches in Appleton wool, the 15th and last tapestry is currently being completed in Kilkenny.  Those who have lovingly set up this impressive exhibition will be pleased to know that I learnt masses about Irish history from taking the 45 minute self guided tour.  I also left for my return journey home with a huge sense of the passion and diligence of Irish communities working together.

A little fact I learnt during my visit is that there are 4.8 million people and 5.2 million sheep in Ireland.  While I certainly found wool textile stories as anticipated, I was a little surprised that at times I had needed to delve deep for them.  In an era when we are all becoming increasingly aware of the huge negatives of cotton production, there is so much to shout about wool textiles - durable, bio degradable, eco-friendly, soft, warm, shower resistant - to name but a few!

I loved every minute of my visit to Ireland's Ancient East and it was rejuvenating way beyond my expectations and the .  With stunning scenery and hugely friendly people who were always delighted to chat and offer help, my visit was a timely reminder to keep nature and community firmly within my sights.