Irish Lace

The production of Irish lace was promoted at the end of the nineteenth century by the Donegal Industrial Fund. This fund was established in 1883 by Alice and Ernest Hart, who wanted to help the destitute of Donegal by offering local women training in weaving, lace making and embroidery.

The Fund established special shops in Dublin and London, and the crafts women were giving demonstrations of their skills. at various exhibitions in Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, New York and Chicago. At the Irish Exhibition at the Olympia, London, a model Donegal Industrial Village was set up in 1888.

The wearing of Irish lace was also promoted by the Gaelic League. This was also the time a distinctive form of embroidery was developed, namely Kells embroidery. This form of embroidery was in later years used, together with Irish crochet lace, for the Irish dance costume.

See also the TRC Needles entries on Limerick lace and Youghal lace.

Digital source (retrieved 27th April 2017).

WV

Last modified on Wednesday, 03 May 2017 16:36
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