Both Irish Lace and Irish Crochet Lace became significant items of export from Ireland in the 19th Century. Cottage industries were established throughout the country to meet the world demand for Irish Crochet Lace and earnings for individual girls were often key to a family’s ability to survive difficult economic times. The teaching of the craft spread particularly during and after the Great Famine of the mid-1840s, as a means to provide an income to distressed families.
With the mechanization of lace production in the late 1800s and early 1900s, coupled with the erosion of world trade routes during the 1914-1918 War, the world demand for handmade Irish Lace and Irish Crochet Lace fell into decline. Since then, apart from a brief revival of interest by Irish Fashion designers such as Sybil Connolly in the 1960s, it has declined from its height of a world industry to the level of hobby craft.
Today, small creative hubs still survive in Dublin, Cork Limerick and Monaghan, where the making of Irish lace and Irish Crochet Lace survives, although more as a craft hobby today. The style of Irish Crochet Lace is still recognized across the world and crochet practitioners in Eastern Europe and Russia in particular have adapted and incorporated many of the designs and motifs into their local creative art form.
Irish Lace and Irish Crochet Lace
Irish Lace and Irish Crochet Lace is a distinctive form of handmade artistry that first began to develop in Ireland during the 18th Century when religious Sisters returning from continental Convents brought the basic skills of French, Belgian, and Italian needle lace to Ireland.
As the needle lace craft grew in Ireland, different centers of operation around the country developed different distinctive lace styles e.g. Youghal, Carrickmacross, Limerick, Borris, and Clones laces etc.
The craft of Irish Crochet Lace developed from Venetian lace, using very fine hooks and cotton threads instead of needles to create items of clothing, fashion embellishments or household furnishings. During the 19th Century, as Irish Crochet Lace developed in Ireland, a very unique Irish style began to emerge which is still recognized and referred to across the world today as
‘Irish Crochet’ or ‘Irish Crochet Lace’.
Here are some useful resources to enhance your understanding of
Irish crochet.
This is a must-have for crocheters who want to learn how to make Irish crochet lace. Excellent instructions, patterns for a wide variety of flower, fruit and leaf motifs, a few grounds and edgings, instructions for hats, collars, cuffs, yoke, jabot, opera bag, edgings, doily.
Masterpieces of
Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions
Rita Weiss, a noted needlework designer and bestselling author, has collected the finest, easily workable examples of Irish crochet from rare American thread company booklets of more than 50 years ago.
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