I spent spring break in Ireland. I spent about four days in Dublin and then moved onto Galway for about three. From Galway, I took a ferry to Inis Mor, on the Aran islands. Ireland is famous for a lot of things--Guinness, shamrocks, dancing, Celtic art and culture, soda bread--just to name a few. But the Aran islands are also famous for making sweaters...
Located just off west coast of Ireland, the Aran islands inhabit an especially frigid patch of the north Atlantic. Historically largely uninhabited, the Irish were driven to the west of Ireland and then onto the islands by the British Puritan fanatic Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. Since then, the people of Aran have developed a reputation for tradition, hardiness, imagination, and innovation. When the first mainland refugees arrived on the Arans hundreds of years ago, they were not met by the great expanse of green land that today's local cherish and visitors rabidly photograph. The Aran islands are top to core limestone; the ground every bit as grey and threatening and unyielding as the slate colored sky. To farm and live, the Aran people dragged sand and seaweed from the coast and laid it down on whatever swath of rock they had claimed as their own and gradually, over time, created arable Aran land. Even today, the Aran islands are not a luxury retreat--it wasn't until the early seventies that they even had reliable electricity and indoor plumbing.
Primarily farmers and fishermen, the people of Aran never got any relief from the brutal elements. The Aran islands are absolutely pummeled by wind and the rain comes and goes almost constantly--starting and stopping really without warning. To cope with the cold and wet, the people of Aran began keeping sheep for wool and making hats and scarves and sweaters. Because the rain was so constant, the women who made the sweaters would use raw wool. The unwashed wool retained the natural lanolin--a sheekpskin oil--that made the sweater or scarf or hat reasonably weather proof and water resistant. The sweaters are stitched with complex and textured patterns intended to keep wind out and warmth in. Some soures say that traditionally each Aran family had its own unique stitch pattern for their sweaters while others say that different stitch patterns were more symbolic: honeycomb patterns indicated a honey bee which signified a hardworker, a cable pattern was supposed to indicate a fisherman.
Nowadays, it is relatively easy--even for non-locals--to tell the difference between a true handknit Aran sweater and a machine made one. Aran sweater makers still use a lot of the traditional techniques (it's easy to find women spinning heir own yarn.) Locals are quick to point out machine made sweater shops as opposed to handknit ones. But if a local is not on hand, pick a sweater up and (for as strange as this may sound) hold it up to your nose--you should be able to smell the lanolin. Then rub your hands together, the lanolin should make your skin soft. Also check the weight and shape of the sweater. A machine made sweater will be less bulky and thick having been made from processed wool. The stitching on a machine made sweater will also be simpler as machines are actually incapable of producing the intricate designs and patterns found on handknit sweaters. Another indicator will likely be the price, a handknit sweater will likely run about 100 Euro--which is pushing 200 dollars. 200 dollars for a sweater is tough to imagine, but if you are ever considering purchasing an Aran sweater keep this in mind: someone made that sweater for you by hand, start to finish. And it is meant to last you for years.
If you can't actually visit the islands, you can buy Aran sweaters online at:
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