PLACES OF INTEREST

Museums

The National Museum of Ireland
Collins Barracks.
Benburb Street.
Dublin 7.
Ireland's new national museum of decorative arts and its economic, social, political and military history.

The National Museum of Ireland.
Kildare Street.
Dublin 2.
Opened in 1890, the museum contains artefacts dating from 7000BC to the present day.

The Museum of Country Life.
Turlough Park.
Castlebar.
Co. Mayo.
A branch of the National museum of Ireland, which houses the Folklore collections.

For more details and opening times: www.museums.ie

The Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum.
Market Square.
Lisburn.
Antrim.
N.Ireland.
Telephone:  028 92663377
Fax:             028 92672624

Heritage/Cultural Centres

Ardara Heritage Centre.
Ardara.
Co. Donegal.
Telephone: 074 9541704
Fax:            074 9541317
Info@ardaraheritagecentre.com
www.ardaraheritagecentre.com

The history of weaving in the area including the story of Donegal tweed from the shearing of sheep to the manufacture of the woven cloth.

Dun Lewey Heritage Centre
Dun Lewey.
Co. Donegal.
Telephone: 074 9531699
www.dunleweycentre.com

The centre provides a fascinating insight into life in the area during the middle of the last century including the weaver Manus Ferry.

Leenane Cultural Centre.
Leenane.
Co. Galway.
Telephone:  095 42323.
Email: noet@eircom.net

This beautifully situated centre interprets the local sheep and wool industry. Wool handcrafts, including carding, spinning, weaving and use of natural dyes are all demonstrated.

Mills

Avoca Handweavers.
Telephone:  0402 35105.
Fax:             0402 35446.
www.avoca.ie
Avoca has seven retail outlets including the original mill at Avoca, Co.Wicklow where visitors are welcome to see the whole weaving process at first hand and view the finished products in the store.

Foxford Woolen Mills Visitor Centre.
Foxford.
Co. Mayo.
Telephone: 094 9256756
Fax:            094 9256794
www.foxfordwoolenmills.ie
Visit the working woolen mill where skilled craftsmen can be seen producing the world famous rugs, blankets and tweeds.

Kerry Woolen Mills.
Beaufort.
Killarney.
Co. Kerry.
Telephone: 064 44122.
Fax:            064 44556.
www.kerrywoolenmills.ie
Visit the shop at this 17th century mill, one of the last surviving traditional woolen mills.

Magees.
Ardara.
Co. Donegal.
Telephone:  074 9722660.
 www.mageedonegal.com
Magees have a large department store, they are the only company still weaving and tailoring hand woven tweed in Donegal.

McNutts Tweed Craft Shop.
Downings.
Co Donegal.
Telephone:   074 9155703
McNutts have over 100 years of weaving experience.
Their shop sells tweeds and knitwear.

 

Alpacas of Ireland
Ireland's first breeding herd. They have both alpacas and their fleece for sale. Alpacas produce a very strong and wonderfully soft fleece that is shorn annually and much in demand by the high fashion industry, for luxury fabrics and by cottage and hobby spinners. The fleece was treasured by the ancient Inca Civilisation and reserved for Incan royalty. Today the fleece, comparable to cashmere, is known for its silky handle, lightness and lustre. The fleece comes in more than twenty natural colours, from pure white through fawns, browns, blue-greys and rose-greys to a true jet black, and can be readily dyed. Visit their website to see wonderful photos of these gentle, intelligent and curious animals!

 

Killnagh Lodge, Carbury, Co. Kildare
Tel: 046 97 31191
e-mail: xkw@bigfoot.com
Website: www.alpacas-of-ireland.com

 

GENEALOGY

The National Library of Ireland.
Kildare Street.
Dublin 2.
Telephone: 01 6030200
Fax:            01 6766690
www.nli.ie

The National Archives.
Bishops Street.
Dublin.