Blame it on Maureen O'Hara. Like it or loathe it, a piece of Galway's heritage has been given a new lease of life after a local designer met the actress four years ago.
The designer, Mary Flaherty, has created an "authentic reproduction" of the Galway shawl. The idea arose when she was talking to the star, who played opposite John Wayne in The Quiet Man.
Ms O'Hara recalled how the wardrobe department working on the film had offered £25 to Galway people who were prepared to part with their shawls and so dress the cast on the production. She bemoaned the fact that the shawl had become almost "extinct" after hundreds were taken back to the US by the Hollywood cast and crew.
Worn by the women of the Claddagh as a warm wrap, from the 1800s to the 1950s, the shawl was regarded as a useful piece of luggage for early emigrants. It had many uses, as a bed cover or as a means of carrying goods.
The average price in the 1930s was £3 to £5, and it was not uncommon for them to be returned to their manufacturers for cleaning and re-fringing. The custom in families was to hand the shawl down to the eldest daughter.
Ms Flaherty set to work to design an authentic version. This "millennium edition" has been woven on a jacquard loom, using the finest wool fibres in the style of the early weavers. It is intricately woven with symbols of the heart and hands, harp intertwined with shamrock, and is bordered by Celtic knot-work depicting interlocking birds. A limited edition is available in five colours, grey, green, red, blue and gold.
A total of 2,000 were made and put on sale at £175 each by her company, Charyl Ltd. The Government bought a consignment to present as millennium gifts to visitors.
Each shawl is numbered, and accompanied by an explanatory booklet. They are still available in several outlets, including Galway's Design Concourse, the Treasure Chest, Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Clerys in Dublin, the Dublin Woollen Mills, Blarney Woollen Mills and Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge.
Mary Flaherty can be contacted at maryflaherty@tinet.com