In December last year I took myself on a trip to Ireland. I had just received my Irish citizenship and passport a few months prior, and I felt called to spend some time. Textiles generally inform the way I travel: where I go, what I do, and who I visit. I knew I wanted to visit an Irish woollen mill. After some research, I came across Cushendale Woollen Mills, the last operating mill in Ireland to make Irish wool blankets from fleece to end product with endemic Galway sheep wool.
Note that some other mills may still use Irish wool in their products, but Cushendale is the last standing to process it from fleece. This means that the team is taking in wool from the few native sheep farmers left each Spring and Summer, then washing it in their natural water source. They go on to dye the wool, card it, and blend it before spinning the fiber into yarn on a machine from 1890. The mill is known for their classic Irish blankets, originally made out of necessity hundreds of years ago before the rise of duvets and popularization of automatic indoor heating systems. The current day family owned mill uses their homemade yarn to weave historically accurate blankets but also collaborates with other brands, such as Thom Browne where the label knit an Irish wool collection.
I reached out to the mill to plan a visit. They were under maintenance but the family was kind enough to show me around anyways. I rented a car and drove about two hours south from Dublin to the mill. It wasn’t until I arrived that I learned about the intricate history and processes that took place here. It was also where I learned the mill has a line of mohair blankets and scarves. I was genuinely moved by this product. It was effortlessly (well, actually, an immense amount of effort goes into it) cool and luxurious. Cushendale brings in the mohair yarn on cones from Italy that they design the particular spin and looping on. They then take the gorgeous yarn off the cones into hanks in order to wash and custom dye the yarn before hand beaming the warp and weaving by their highly skilled team. It doesn’t end there. They cut, wash, quality assess, and brush the blankets. I was so inspired by the way they have stayed true to the original use of the mill while introducing the new line of product.
The mill, which is present day Cushendale, has been running since 1204. Originally Cistercian monks founded an abbey in the town of Graiguenamanagh in County Kilkenny where the mill is located. The monks built a water channel running from the Duiske River to both process wool and power the mill. Today, hundreds of years later, the Cushen family still maintains and utilizes the same waterway. I was told that the pure spring water is an element to the quality of the final product.
Since 1778 the then Cushon family has kept this mill that holds so much textile history alive. Sylvester Cushon took over the mill and continued to pass it on to sons and daughters for generations. ”Cushendale” was coined in the 1920s by Philip Cushion. Today, six generations later, Miriam Cushen and her father Philip continue the legacy and keep the mill alive. There are several other hands that go into keeping this mill true to form. I encourage you to visit their site to learn even more.
Being in the mill is like walking into a movie set. So much of it is true to its Medieval history. At the same time, each generation has imparted modern knowledge to innovate and keep the product relevant to current times. I was so moved by the work Miriam, her husband Trevor, and the entire team did daily. I did not know I was going there that day with the outcome of collaborating with them, but it was apparent that the mill embodied my mission.
I’m not really sure how I ended up here. My fascination with the history of textiles across the world evolved from an initial interest in fashion when I was a kid. I am so thankful to Miriam and Trevor for being open to this collaboration in Present Tense Home’s debut. It was such a joy to play with color and striping, ultimately creating three blankets that have deep meaning aligning with the brand and where they were made. These people are good and warm and real. My gratitude is unexplainable. Woven with intention is embodied here. I am extremely proud to be partnering with the archetype of mill preservation. Thank you, Cushendale, it has been an honor.
I could not recommend a visit to them more if you find yourself in Ireland.
