Weaving Tapestry in a Rural Ireland: Taipeis Gael, Donegal

Meghan Nuttall Sayres

ISBN: 9780953535330

Cork University Press

Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland is the story of a group of young weavers in the Gaeltacht, the Irish speaking section of Donegal, who with the help of village elders formed a tapestry weaving cooperative called Taipéis Gael.

Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland, this account of the Donegal weaving co-operative features accounts of the various processes; as well as interviews with weavers, spinners and dyers; and has 103 colour photographs of tapestries. This book brings into focus key aspects of our heritage and shows how traditional skills were adopted to produce modern tapestries of great beauty and originality. Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland contributes to the preservation of regional culture in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking sections of western Ireland. The weavers believe their work is of importance because 'large chunks of our cultural heritage have been lost with the passing of just one generation.' Traditional methods of wool production are presented in this book along with folklore, myth and local archaeology which influences the weavers' practices, tapestry design, self-perceptions and identities as artists and mentors within their communities. Also included is a documentation of the natural materials - plants and sea life - that their ancestors used in dye recipes for the yarns in their sweaters and tweeds.