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On a summer morning at the Athenry livestock mart in 2024, an unlikely fusion of industry and artistry took place. Bales of freshly shorn fleece shared the floor with pieces of contemporary fibre art. As sheep farmers piled sacks of wool ready for sale, just steps away local artisans showcased intricate knitwear, handwoven textiles, and felted sculptures – all made from the very same native Irish wool.
The Land to the Hand exhibition was a bold statement: Irish wool, long dismissed as too coarse, too impractical, too unworkable, had found its champions. Now, that movement is gaining traction. A determined cohort of wool growers, artisans, and business minds are proving that native wool can be commercially viable once more, while offering a more sustainable alternative to imported materials.
The loss wasn’t just economic—it came at an environmental cost, too. While Irish wool was discarded, global supply chains filled the gap. Wool imported from as far as Australia or South America carries a high carbon footprint, transported thousands of miles while a fully renewable, biodegradable resource is left unused at home.
The Galway Wool Co-Op is changing that.
By offering direct partnerships between farmers and designers, they have increased the farm-gate price of Galway wool by over 1,000% in just a few years. What was once worth mere cents is now commanding fair prices, ensuring that farmers can once again earn meaningful revenue from their flocks.
If the Galway Wool Co-Op is providing the raw material, the Galway Artisans Collective is proving what can be done with it. At the heart of this revival is Michelle Hickey Legge, Artist-in-Residence at Galway Wool Co-Op and founder of the Collective. She was drawn into the wool movement in 2022 when she struggled to source genuine Irish wool for a rug project. That challenge led her to years of research into Ireland’s wool industry, and ultimately, to championing garments and crafts that showcase the true potential of Galway fleece.
One of the Collective’s most celebrated creations is the Báinín vest. Handmade and designed by Shannon Byrnes, the crochet garment is crafted from 100% worsted Galway wool. Aptly known as ‘Báinín’ or ‘lovely white’ (a nod to its naturally pure, fleck-free complexion), the vest is a symbol of both heritage and innovation: a modern staple built on centuries-old tradition.
She’s also passionate about consumer education, believing that buyers deserve real choice. “The consumer isn’t being made aware. That includes the sustainable consumer who wants to spend a few hundred euros on a garment that’s going to last a lifetime. They often don’t even know where that wool grew.”
Change is on the horizon. By 2030, all products sold in the EU will require a Digital Product Passport (DPP): a scannable label that reveals exactly where a product’s materials come from. For Irish wool, this could be a long-overdue moment of clarity, giving consumers the power to distinguish between genuine Irish wool and products that only claim to be.
Once transparency becomes mandatory, brands and suppliers that rely on imported fibres while marketing themselves as ‘authentic’ may have to rethink their approach. But the women of the Galway Wool Co-Op and Galway Artisans Collective aren’t waiting for regulation to catch up—they’re already setting the standard for what real Irish wool can be.
As Blátnaid puts it, “If you have Irish wool in your offering, be brave. Show us the farmer, show us the farm-gate price, stick to the real ethos and the real principle of sustainability.” The revival of Irish wool isn’t just about craft and heritage. It’s about economic empowerment, industry integrity, and building a market that values honesty as much as sustainability.
As the seanfhocal goes: “An rud is annamh is iontach”—what’s rare is wonderful.
Irish wool? It’s both.