Aran Sweaters Are Good Irish Buys

The most popular purchases by tourists in this country are Aran sweaters. Few leave the Emerald Isle without one of the bulky, intricately stitched fisherman’s sweaters.

The sweaters, which are about twice as expensive in the United States, are exceptionally good buys and make handsome, long-lasting additions to any wardrobe.

Christine MacDonald, owner of Crafts of Ireland (11 Winthrop St. in Cork), not only shows and sells fine Arans, but has maintained close contact with many knitters throughout Ireland and is a valuable source of information on the sweaters.

“The Aran sweater is named for the three Aran islands off the coast of Galway, where the sweater style and many of the traditional stitches originated,” MacDonald said.

“At present, Aran sweaters are handmade in rural communities throughout the country and knitting is a major and well-organized cottage industry.”

Arans are made with wool shorn from Irish sheep and spun, usually by machine these days, in Ireland’s western counties of Donegal and Mayo. They have been worn for longer than anyone can remember, some say as early as the 9th Century, and are favored by fishermen as protection from the cold sea winds and mist.

“Long ago,” says MacDonald, “the distinctive stitches invented by knitters in each town along the coast were like signatures and they were used to identify drowned fishermen whose bodies washed ashore after months at sea.”

In the olden days, the wool’s lanolin was not removed and other oils were added to make the sweaters even better armored against the weather. Today, some sweaters--especially the hand-knit, heavier ones used for rugged outdoor wear--are still oiled. These sweaters have a characteristic, not necessarily unpleasant, odor.

Those who don’t intend to head for the open seas should buy non-oiled sweaters since they don’t need the extra protection and the moths seem to adore that oil.

Traditionally, stitches have symbolic meaning. The cable stitch, for example, represents the fisherman’s rope and is intended to bring the wearer good luck for a rich catch.

The stone fences of Ireland’s western counties are seen in the double-diamond stitch called trellis. The moss stitch symbolizes an edible moss, carageen, that is harvested along the western coast. The lacy stitch known as Trinity has spiritual significance, as does another called Tree of Life.

In days of yore, men wielded the knitting needles, shaping their own sweaters out of wool that was shorn, cleaned and spun by the women. Today, women do the knitting, many of them at home while under contract to a specific craft shop or to distributors. Fast knitters can make about two sweaters per week.

The traditional colors for Arans are the natural colors of the wool: bahneen, or creamy off-white, gunmetal gray and earthy brown. But Arans are now also made in navy blue, dark green and other earthy shades. Bright primary colors and/or pastels are not normally used.

The crew-neck pullover, the standard style, now has competition from fashionable turtle-necks and cross-over shawl collars, and from cardigans that fasten up the front with woven leather buttons or heavy snaps. Some shops (Brown-Thomas in Dublin, for example) offer Arans lined with lightweight tweeds or tartans for extra warmth and color.

Traditional styles are also made in hand-loomed versions. This is a less labor-intensive form of production, falling somewhere between handmade and machine-made. Hand-loomed sweaters use a lighter-weight wool, are more tightly knit and cost less, about half the cost of hand-knits.

Hand-loomed sweaters are widely distributed, and are usually identified as such. However, when buying, if you’re paying for a hand-knit sweater, make sure you get one and not a hand-loomed model.

Check the stitching carefully, looking for the slight irregularities that are a sure sign of a hand-knit. Read the sweater’s label; it should not only say hand-knit, but should also tell you the name, and sometimes the location, of the knitter. You should have no problems with misrepresentation in the more reputable shops.

If you’re driving around rural Ireland, you may have an opportunity to buy an Aran sweater directly from a cottage knitter. The selection will be limited, but grab the chance. You’ll get a better price, as much as 30% percent less than in the shops.

More important, you’ll be able to shake the hand that knit your sweater. Many small towns don’t have craft shops, but the local pubs are a good source of information about where to find nearby knitters.

There are ample outlets for Arans in all of Ireland’s major cities. Before buying, comparison-shop for various styles and prices, guided by this list of average tags for hand-knits: men’s pullovers in large sizes, $100, in small sizes, $80; men’s cardigans in larger sizes, $110, in smaller sizes, $95; ladies’ pullovers in larger sizes, $90, smaller sizes, $75; ladies’ cardigans in larger sizes, $95, smaller sizes, $85. Children’s sizes are about a third the price of adult sweaters.

Prices vary by as much as $25 per sweater, depending upon the complexity of the stitchery and the sweater’s size. Department store and shop prices are discounted by 10% when the value-added tax is refunded in cash as you leave the country with your sweaters. (Individual knitters who sell from their homes do not offer the value-added tax refund.)

In Cork, you’ll find Arans in large stores and small shops. In addition to Crafts of Ireland, another small shop--Ireland Today at 78 Oliver Plunkett St.--is well-stocked. And Cash’s, a link in the Switzers Department Store chain, offers a good supply of Arans in a department-store setting.

In Blarney, a short bus ride from Cork, you’ll find not only Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone, but Blarney Woolen Mills, with an astonishing array of hand-knit and hand-loomed Aran sweaters. There are frequent price-slashing sales there.

In Dublin, the four major department stores--Brown-Thomas and Switzers on Grafton Street, Arnotts at Grafton and Henry streets, and Clery’s on O’Connell Street--have substantial Aran stocks, hand-knit and hand-loomed.

For smaller shops, try Best of Irish on Harry Street (next to the Westbury Hotel) or Irish Cottage Industries at 44 Dawson St. Joan Doherty Weavers, at Suite 12B in Powerscourt Town House Centre on Clarendon Street, has standard styles, plus some unusual contemporary-looking Arans made in off-beat colors.

Galway, too, has several outstanding Aran outlets. Padriac O’Maille on Dominick Street is a large, well-established, upscale shop and a terrific source for finely made traditional Arans.

The Browne Doorway is conveniently located at 17 Eyre Square and carries Arans, but it is a bit more touristy than the Archway Craft Centre, a smaller shop on Victoria Place (off Eyre Square) with an appealing combination of Arans, other crafts and antiques. A purchase at Archway entitles the buyer to a good, warm-hearted history lesson as well.

The stores mentioned above also carry, in varying degrees, other fine Irish goods: Waterford glass, Beleek china, tweeds and woolens that are often purchased as very usable souvenirs of a delightful trip through the Emerald Isle.

Prices quoted in this article reflect currency exchange rates at the time of writing .