Sir, – I am the artist in residence with the Galway Wool Co-op and a member of the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC).
The Galway Wool Co-op was set up in 2021 to restore Ireland’s native rare pedigree sheep breed, the Galway, which, with more than 100 years’ provenance, was near extinction. The wool from the Galway was the original wool used to knit the iconic Aran jumper.
The IGWC is a voluntary organisation and was set up in 2023 to promote an Irish-grown wool brand, both domestically and internationally with an all-Ireland approach.
As part of my MA fine art research, I realised the wool industry in Ireland has been devastated for decades. It has been fundamentally replaced with synthetic wool and Merino wool. The Irish farmer is poorly renumerated for their fleece to the point where it costs more to shear the sheep than the value of the fleece.
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Our so-called Irish traditional wool products are greenwashed to appear authentic for the much sought-after capitalist tourist market and yet our own Irish-grown wool is exported as animal byproduct (ABP) waste material.
With a world focus on sustainability and the circular economy, I speak for myself when I ask would it be beneficial if the Government were more proactive where legislation is concerned around these issues?
There are some very good volunteers on the IGWC but in my opinion there is an opportunity for Government to have a much more responsible and proactive, hands-on approach to nurturing the regrowth of Ireland’s culture and heritage.
There are exciting and innovative wool companies in Ireland showcasing 100 per cent Irish wool products. A marketing and funding approach to these creative businesses could be employed for the betterment of the wool industry in Ireland. – Yours, etc,
MICHELLE HICKEY
LEGGE,
Shannon,
Co Clare.