Hi everyone. I hope I find you all well this week. As you all know, during the summer, I embarked on a roadtrip to meet some of our very talented makers at The Irish Store whose wonderful stories I’ve been sharing with you in recent weeks. My journey began at most northerly point of Ireland, Malin Head in County Donegal and ended in Kinsale, County Cork. Over three days, I covered over 600 miles, 9 counties, met 6 of our favorite makers and stopped off at some beautiful places along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. It was a truly wonderful trip and this week it gives me great pleasure to share the entire journey with you in full. Enjoy!
A Little Piece of Ireland On the Wild Atlantic Way
1. Malin Head, Donegal
First stop, the awe-inspiring Malin Head in County Donegal before heading to Buncrana to meet the makers at Crana Knits.
2. Crana Knits, Buncrana, Donegal
Time to meet the amazing and inspirational Rosaleen Hegarty and her team of incredible hand-knitters at Crana Knits in Buncrana on the Inishowen Peninsula.
3. Mc Nutt, Downings, Donegal
A short drive now over to the equally beautiful Rosguill Peninsula to meet William at Mc Nutt of Donegal who produce a gorgeous range of blankets, throws and scarves.
Before leaving this beautiful county, there was time to stop off at one of Donegal’s many gorgeous beaches for a quick stroll.
4. Benbulben, Sligo
After an overnight stay in my favorite County Sligo, I just had to show you my favorite Irish mountain before hitting the road to Westport to meet the makers at Aran Woolen Mills
5. Aran Woolen Mills, Westport, Mayo
My next stop took me to Westport in County Mayo to meet Vincent of Aran Woolen Mills, the makers of some of our most popular Aran knitwear pieces at The Irish Store
6. Croagh Patrick, County Mayo
Well I couldn’t leave County Mayo without a stop off at another of Ireland’s magnificent mountains!
7. Connemara Marble Quarry, Lissoughter, Galway
I know we have many fans of Connemara Marble jewelry in The Irish Store community so I was very excited when Stephen invited me to his very own Connemara Marble quarry in Lissoughter in the heart of this stunning part of Ireland.
8. Adare Village, Limerick
Our next maker to meet was in County Kerry so it was a great excuse to stop off on the way for the night in Adare, County Limerick and make a short video of one of Ireland’s prettiest villages.
9. Mucros Weavers, Killarney, Kerry
Time to meet John of Mucros Weavers in the stunning surroundings of Killarney National Park in County Kerry.
After finding out all about the story of Mucros, I managed to squeeze in a quick cycle around the park before heading off to meet our final maker.
10. Wild Goose, Kinsale, Cork
Last but not least, I headed to Kinsale in west Cork to meet Jamie of Wild Goose Studios to discover the story behind their unique designs and age-old craft.
Thanks so much for your company on the virtual road. I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting our makers as much as I have. I’ll leave you with a compilation of the whole trip so you can get some sense of the journey in its entirety. Call it our very own “best bits”!
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Take care of yourselves and each other,
Slán go fóill!
Lulu
