Blarney Woollen Mills The Story Built in 1823, Blarney Woollen Mills was originally known as Mahony's Mills and provided valuable employment to the people of Blarney and surrounding areas. It was a water powered mill and it produced tweeds and woollens for the home and export markets. In 1928, a boy of 13, like most of his friends in Blarney, began to work at Blarney Woollen Mills. His name was Christy Kelleher. In 1951 Christy left to work with an insurance company in the city so that he could better provide for his family, But he was never a man to stand still and always had a little business going on the side. All of his seven children were encouraged to help him run his various ventures. He purchased the local cinema and turned it into a dance hall at weekends. He ran a hackney service and also had a 'vegetable round'. In 1967 he started a small souvenir shop in Blarney which he and some friends built as he did not have enough money to buy a property. (This 'thatched cottage on wheels' is on display in the grounds of the mill today.)  Meanwhile, business at the Old Mill had started to decline and it finally wound down production and closed its doors in 1973. The huge stone buildings became bare and empty and the machines were dismantled and removed. Five hundred people lost their jobs. For tow years the mill lay silent and derelict. Nobody wanted it. Christy visited the site many times and slowly the gem of an idea began to grow he would buy the buildings he had worked in as a boy and turn the mill into a visitor centre!   He 'did a deal' with the auctioneers and placed a deposit on the Mill only to discover that the financial institutions did not share his enthusiasm. His request for funds were refused. What a dilemma! The family agreed that drastic steps were necessary and between them raised the funds to purchase the Mill and later persuaded the banks to provide the working capital. Christy Kelleher was now the proud owner of the Woollen Mills where he had started his working life. One of the first things he did was to remove the big iron gate which stood between the mill and the main road. All the employees of the Old Mills had only been allowed to enter through a side gate, and Christy was determined that the ordinary people would now be able to go through the main entrance. The fact that the business prospered is a testament to Christy's dogged enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. He was always there, with a kind word for everyone, welcoming the visitors and encouraging the staff. Nowadays more than one million visitors pass through these old stone buildings each year. Christy Kelleher, this great man of vision, died in 1991 aged 76. He left behind him a thriving family company which still retains that Blarney spirit that made it all possible in the first place. Christy Kelleher, founder of Blarney Woollen Mills and one of Ireland’s most famous  entrepreneurs, was commemorated by the establishment of a new Family Business Centre at University College Cork in May 2004. The Centre was called the John C. “Christy” Kelleher Family Business Centre. Today Blarney Woollen Mills is Ireland’s Largest Irish Gifts Store. We stock a massive range of Irish Gifts including Waterford Crystal, Belleek Fine China, Royal Tara, Celtic Jewelry and of course Aran Sweaters. Over the last 30 years we have delivered millions of Irish Gifts worldwide. Our customer service is second to none. To see what our customers say click here . Why not Shop in Ireland from the comfort of your own home with Blarney Woollen Mills. WWW .BLARNEY.COM

Summer Has Arrived !!

It's a fabulous day here in Blarney temperatures reaching a welcoming 21 deg C !! Blue skies are set to continue for the weekend! Everywhere is busy today but particularly our ice cream shop, a true sign summer has arrived!! If you are planning a trip to Ireland this year why not check us out !

http://www.blarney.com/

The Aran Story

The Aran Sweater is a style of sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. It is sometimes known as a fisherman sweater. Aran sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. Originally the sweaters were knitted using unscoured wool that retained its natural oils which made the garments water-resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet. However, today most of the Aran sweaters and Aran Cardigans are knit with a softer yarn called Merino in the natural bainin (bawneen) colour and in other colours reflective of the Irish countryside.

Each sweater comes wrapped in history and every stitch has a traditional interpretation, often of religious significance, but mostly of life’s experience and journey. The honeycomb is a symbol of the hard-working bee. The cable, an integral part of the fisherman’s daily life, is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing. The diamond is a wish of success, wealth and treasure. The basket stitch represents the fisherman’s basket, a hope for a plentiful catch. Most knitting patterns were never written down just handed down from generation to generation using up to 24 different aran stitches with infinite combinations

Our best ladies Aran seller is this beautiful  Muckross Aran Cardigan - available on line www.blarney.com

Belleek Celebrate 155 Years

The familiar and world-renowned Belleek trademark of the Round Tower, Harp and Wolfhound sitting on an island of Shamrocks with the word "Belleek" has been recreated in relief pattern as the main feature of the front of the 155th Anniversary Vase. This beautiful vase is one of a limited edition of only 450. Each vase has a special backstamp and will be individually numbered. This beautiful vase can be purchased on line at http://www.blarney.com/

The Gathering Ireland 2013

 

The Gathering Ireland 2013 was launched by Tourism Ireland on Friday May 11th. It's about asking anyone who has Irish blood, a link to Ireland, or even just a love of our country, to join us for a series of amazing and diverse events throughout 2013. If you are planning or considering planning a trip to Ireland in 2013, why not call to see us in Blarney, we would love to see you. For more information on the gathering log on to http://www.thegatheringireland.com/

PADRAIG SAYS THANK YOU

The Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation successfully raised over $200,000 for Gerard Byrne who was recently paralysed from the waist down in a car accident. Padraig wore the branding of IdentityX, Clune Construction and Blarney.com over a three week period including The Masters.

Padraig said, “On behalf of the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation and my family I would like to say thank you most sincerely to IdentityX, Clune Construction and Blarney.com, who all supported this important initiative. Together they helped us raise over $200,000 which will go some way towards helping Gerard and his family adapt to their unfortunate changed circumstances. I am very thankful to everyone involved for making this possible.”

Gerard said “I am very grateful to Padraig, his sponsors and IdentityX, Clune Construction and Blarney.com for each playing their part in helping us at this difficult time. It has been a very tough few months since my accident but this support has given my family a real boost and will be invaluable as we adjust to our new situation. I wish Padraig every success for the season ahead.”

Padraig Harrington Tee's Off At The RBC Heritage

Another big day in the golfing calendar, Padraig Harrington tee's off today at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head.

Lets hope that Padraig continues his great form of the Masters!

Blarney.com are proud sponsors of Padraig for the RBC Heritage 2012 Blarney.com has also agreed to contribute 5% of net website sales (excluding clothing related items) to Padraig Harringtons Charitable Foundation during this golfing tournament.

Best of Luck Padraig from all at Blarney.com