www.nmni.com/uftm/Collections/Textiles---Costume/Lace-page Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, lace collection. collection. lace Museum, Transport and Folk Ulster To find a conservator: www.conservationireland.org conservator: a find To www.museum.ie/en/collection/lace.aspx National Museum of Ireland, Lace collection. collection. Lace Ireland, of Museum National Useful contacts: Useful Vol. 26, No. 2, pp.152-167. 2, No. 26, Vol. Display and Meaning, 1886–1909’ in Journal of Design History 2013, 2013, History Design of Journal in 1886–1909’ Meaning, and Display Embroidery, Dresses: ‘Irish’ Aberdeen’s ‘Ishbel J., Helland, Ireland’, Women’s History Review, 1996, Vol. 5, Issue 3, pp. 326-345. pp. 3, Issue 5, Vol. 1996, Review, History Women’s Ireland’, organisation: Commercial lace embroidery in early 19th-century 19th-century early in embroidery lace Commercial organisation: Chapman S. & Sharpe, P., ‘Women’s employment and industrial industrial and employment ‘Women’s P., Sharpe, & S. Chapman There are a number of articles on Irish lace-making, including: lace-making, Irish on articles of number a are There Further reading: Further www.oidfa.com www.laceguild.org Library of Ireland of Library www.craftscotland.org The Lawrence Photograph Collection, Courtesy of the National National the of Courtesy Collection, Photograph Lawrence The Circular lace photo: lace Circular Irish lace collar (c.1865-1914), Robert French, French, Robert (c.1865-1914), collar lace Irish Other sites relating to lace-making include: lace-making to relating sites Other (c.1900), Rowe Collection Rowe (c.1900), Insert black lace photo: photo: lace black Insert www.traditionallaceireland.com Fan designed by Florence Vere O’Brien O’Brien Vere Florence by designed Fan www.kenmarelace.ie Front cover: Front www.irishhistoricaltextiles.com www.irishlacemuseum.com the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland of Council Crafts & Design the www.irishlaceguild.com An initiative of the Heritage Council with support from from support with Council Heritage the of initiative An of Irish lace-making, past and present: and past lace-making, Irish of Edited by Eleanor Flegg Eleanor by Edited The following websites contain information and photographs photographs and information contain websites following The Text by Glenn Hooper Glenn by Text Where can I get further information? further get I can Where paid employment in towns and cities. cities. and towns in employment paid industry declined internationally and young women sought better better sought women young and internationally declined industry association with lace-making will continue well into the future. future. the into well continue will lace-making with association made ornate dress unpopular after World War One, the lace lace the One, War World after unpopular dress ornate made Ireland are all lace enthusiasts who ensure that Ireland’s long long Ireland’s that ensure who enthusiasts lace all are Ireland early twentieth century, its heyday was over. Changing fashions fashions Changing over. was heyday its century, twentieth early Guild of Irish Lace-makers, and the Traditional Lace-makers of of Lace-makers Traditional the and Lace-makers, Irish of Guild Although great efforts were made to promote Irish lace in the the in lace Irish promote to made were efforts great Although Irish lace lives on, groups including the ‘St Louis Stitchers’, the the Stitchers’, Louis ‘St the including groups on, lives lace Irish Decline of Irish lace Irish of Decline courtesy of the RDS the of courtesy photograph by Roland Paschhoff, Paschhoff, Roland by photograph (2013) in Carrickmacross lace, lace, Carrickmacross in (2013) Conlon, Christening Gown Gown Christening Conlon, Contemporary lace by Gráinne Gráinne by lace Contemporary Roland Paschhoff, courtesy of the RDS the of courtesy Paschhoff, Roland the Beara Peninsula, photograph by by photograph Peninsula, Beara the by the historic landscape divisions of of divisions landscape historic the by Kenmare lace technique and inspired inspired and technique lace Kenmare of contemporary art made using using made art contemporary of Harrington, Divisions (2013) a piece piece a (2013) Divisions Harrington, Contemporary lace by Fiona Fiona by lace Contemporary Council of Ireland of Council courtesy of the Design & Crafts Crafts & Design the of courtesy photograph by Evelyn McNamara, McNamara, Evelyn by photograph Dress by Natalie B Coleman, Coleman, B Natalie by Dress The story of Irish lace is a story of extremes The most beautiful of materials, lace was worn by the wealthiest women across Europe, yet produced by some of the poorest women in Ireland. Lace was a luxury Schools commodity, used to decorate elaborate wedding dresses, christening robes, and Lace-making schools sprang up all over Ireland, established by two quite different types church vestments, but it also played a vital part in saving many families from of women. The first were wealthy Protestant female philanthropists, who provided starvation and destitution. Irish lace reflects the social and political changes that training for young women on their estates. They often purchased expensive pieces from took place between 1700 and the present, and this is its story. Europe, bringing them back to Ireland for their students to copy. Lady Harriet Kavanagh of Borris House in County Carlow, for example, brought some lace from Corfu in 1857 that became the basis for ‘Borris Lace’, a delicate form of needlepoint. The aristocracy The beginnings played a vital role in Lace was first produced in Ireland from the 1730s. It was a highly skilled and very the promotion of Irish delicate craft, and was promoted by Irish aristocrats such as Lady Arabella Denny, lace, as they had the the famous philanthropist, who used social and political connections to support the funds as well as the new industry and promote the sale of Irish lace abroad. The skill soon spread beyond social connections to Dublin to the poorest parts of the country, and proved a popular means for young ensure it secured a women to help support their families. Lace-making required little equipment beyond high profile. Irish lace bobbins and fine cotton or linen thread, and a great deal of patience, so was suitable was displayed at the for remote parts of the country that had little industry and few employment options. Nation of all Nations Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in 1851, setting Teaching the craft a pattern of high- Philip St. Convent-girls making lace (c.1884-1945), A.H. Poole, The Poole profile displays that Several lace-making schools were established throughout Ireland, with some regions Cottage Industries: Lacemaking, County Donegal, (c.1865-1914), Robert French, Photographic Collection, Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland The Lawrence Photograph Collection, Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland continued until the acquiring reputations for high-quality products. Different parts of the country end of the century. The Chicago World Fair of 1893 included the recreation of an Irish produced distinctive types of lace, and discerning customers would soon learn to village, complete with thatched cottages and Irish girls demonstrating lace-making. ask for ‘Carrickmacross’ (County Monaghan) or ‘Borris’ (County Carlow) or ‘Youghal’ This was the initiative of Lady Aberdeen, the wife of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (County Cork) lace, depending upon their favoured style. Limerick lace (also known and a passionate advocate of Irish lace. She took every opportunity to showcase the as tambour lace, because of its manner of manufacture) became well known from product, wearing heavily embellished clothes to official functions in Ireland and abroad. the 1830s onwards, following the establishment of a lace-making factory in the city Her well-meaning efforts certainly attracted attention, earning her the nickname by an English businessman. Charles Walker was drawn to the area by the availability ‘blousy Bella’ for her ornate dresses, veils and headscarves. At the other end of the of cheap, skilled female labour, and his business thrived: within a few short years religious spectrum, orders of nuns took an active part in establishing lace schools in his lace factories employed almost 2,000 women and girls. Some purists claim that their convents, supplying training and materials that allowed young women to earn Limerick lace is money to support their families, and to save for the costs of emigration. Many Irish not ‘true’ lace, religious congregations were originally continental European in origin, and drew upon but rather ornate a well-established European tradition of lace-making in French and Belgian convents. hand-done Although they did not necessarily work together formally, it is interesting to think that patterning upon these two very different machine-made types of women – the lace netting, but high society Protestant the skill of the ladies, and the retiring work was such Catholic nuns – that Limerick together ensured that lace was perhaps Irish lace became an the best-known international success, of all Irish laces and a highly desirable by the twentieth commodity. century. Mrs Florence Vere O’Brien, founder of the Limerick Lace School, with Lady Ishbel Aberdeen, founder and funder of the Leenane Lace Industry, Mrs Vere O’Brien’s Limerick Lace School (1907), Rowe Collection, her daughters Jane and Flora (1905), Rowe Collection Connemara (1886) and the Irish Lace Depot, Dublin (1887), Rowe Collection Ó Cléirigh, N.,and Rowe, V., Limerick Lace (1995) www.nmni.com/uftm/Collections/Textiles---Costume/Lace-page Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, lace collection. collection. lace Museum, Transport and Folk Ulster To find a conservator: www.conservationireland.org conservator: a find To www.museum.ie/en/collection/lace.aspx National Museum of Ireland, Lace collection. collection. Lace Ireland, of Museum National Useful contacts: Useful Vol. 26, No. 2, pp.152-167. 2, No. 26, Vol. Display and Meaning, 1886–1909’ in Journal of Design History 2013, 2013, History Design of Journal in 1886–1909’ Meaning, and Display Embroidery, Dresses: ‘Irish’ Aberdeen’s ‘Ishbel J., Helland, Ireland’, Women’s History Review, 1996, Vol.