The legend of the Aran sweater

Located just off the west coast of Ireland there are three rugged and slightly barren  Islands.  These are the Isles of Aran.  they should not be confused with their Scottish namesake which is a much larger Island located to the North.  These three sisters have stood defending the Bay of Galway for hundreds of thousands of years.  They have also provided a home for extremely hardy people.  The Aran islanders have learned to adapt to their environment in many ingenious ways.  Firstly it is difficult to grow crops like wheat and vegetables on Aran  so the  islanders have learned to use the means.  specifically they have turned to the sea to provide them with food and sustenance.  On the land they have taken to sheep farming where the animals provide them with food and also with clothing.

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One of the most famous examples of this clothing is that of the aran sweaters that you can purchase from https://www.shamrockgift.com/aran-sweaters. These are modern examples of this design classic that was first created on the Isles of Aran at the turn of the  19th century into the 20th century.  There are several myths that surround the creation of these famous sweaters.

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Firstly they do not originate on the Isle of Aran.  The style was shown to the islanders by the people of Guernsey who taught them how to create the sweaters to protect the men folk as they went out fishing.  Therefore the cable nets are not based on Celtic symbolism as was originally thought.

Jeffrey Bowman

Jeffrey Bowman