Irish Family History

From the 1850s, no self-respecting follower of fashion in London, Paris or New York would be without an item crafted from Irish Crochet Lace.

The handiwork was of such a fine quality that it was literally fit for a queen, with Queen Mary’s wedding dress being hand crocheted in Ireland, reputedly by three ladies from Foxpoint, Co. Mayo, where the Congested Districts Board had set up a lace school and cottage industry at the Lodge.

Irish lacemaking, having been little more than a past-time or an activity associated with nuns, became an important source of income following the famine.

Lace schools were opened across Ireland, and by 1853 the Illustrated London Magazine stated that there were ‘upwards of 20,000 people obtaining a livelihood by lace and ornamental needle and tambour work in Ireland.’

Ten years later, Jessie Boucherett in her book ‘Hints on Self-Help, a Book for Young Women’ published in London stated that ‘in the last ten years no less than fifteen millions of pounds have been paid for Irish lace, embroidery and crochet-work.’

The earnings derived from the women and girls working in the Lace Schools often surpassed those of other types of work. They created many beautiful items; you can take a look at some examples that were exhibited in ‘Irish Crochet Lace - 150 Years of a Tradition’ at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkley, California during 2005 – view the slide show, or read the exhibit brochure.

There were lace schools all over the country. The one based at Foxpoint, Co. Mayo was replaced by a new one at Muings in 1914. As fashions changed, so did the demands for lace and gradually the focus became the production of Aran patterned knitwear. The school at Muings remained open until 1999 when it was forced to close due to competition from the Far East as well as staffing problems.

A voluntary group was set up in 2005 with the aim of acquiring, restoring and adapting the premises of Muings Lace School for the creation of a small-dedicated Heritage centre and folk Museum. This would create awareness, interest and recall for the community, past employees and home workers, visiting and returning émigrés. It also aims to exhibit Irish crochet lace and hold lectures and classes on how it is made.

To find out more about the group, take a look at their website, Save Muings Lace School.  You are invited to leave a message of support on their forum, or sign up to their newsletter.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am and is filed under Employment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.