Irish Weavers Molloy & Sons on Nowness.com

Burnt

Nowness.com have done a very nice video profiling Molloy & Sons one
of the last remaining Irish mills manufacturing authentic Donegal tweed.

Burnt

Blurb for the video:

Molloy & Sons: Heritage Tweed
Reflections On the Emerald Isle Landscapes That Inspire Authentic Donegal Weave

Filmmakers Jamie Delaney and Keith Nally’s beautiful short, made in collaboration with heritage enthusiast and Acne Paper Editor Charlotte Rey, profile one of the last surviving weaving mills, Molloy & Sons. Based in the windswept County Donegal, Ireland, current father and son duo Sean and Kieran Molloy have a pedigree dating back over six generations and weave premium tweed from the famous Donegal yarn. “I think that with old crafts which are indigenous to areas like this, it’s really hard to divorce them from their landscape,” says Delaney. Over the course of three days’ filming, Delaney and Rey captured the family’s impressive artisanal skill and dedication to a dwindling industry. Amidst the bleak but beautiful scenery surrounding the mill, the textile masters explained how their authentic Donegal weaves were inspired by the muted tones and flecks of color in the local heather, bracken and wild flowers. “Tweed is part of the cultural DNA in a sense; it’s been there for generations and it’s a pillar of a fabric industry that is now disappearing,” says Rey. “What should really be shining through is the love and the passion of these people.”

ladhrann

I got a suit made for me there from their tweed, its lovely stuff and makes up very well.

There is still a wealth of weavers going in Ireland thankfully.

Burnt

While there is quite a lot of weavers based in Ireland, in many cases it's only
design and sampling that take place there, with production taking place abroad.

The industry in Ireland and Donegal in particular has really declined, loosing out
to cheaper productions elsewhere. Anyone can call anything Donegal tweed, as
it does not enjoying the same protections as e.g. Harris.

ladhrann

Burn,

What I'm referencing there by saying there are still some weavers going is that its often assumed that all of this is gone away. Sadly many of closed but the industry is not gone. In relation to protection for the Donegal name I'm lobbying local TDs to legislate for its protection.

Weavers still going and weaving in Ireland are

Woollen Weavers

Foxford Woollen Mills
John Hanly
Muckros Weavers/Kerry Woollen Mills
Cushendale Woollen Mills

Donegal Tweed

Magee
Molloy & Sons
Studio Donegal Handwoven Donegal Tweed
Eddie Doherty Handweaver

Irish Linen

Ferguson's Irish Linen
The Flax Mill
Baird McNutt
Ulster Weavers
Samuel Lamont & Sons
Liddell
McCaw Allen