Carrick workshop on history of knitting coming this April

A new community project, Stories in Stitches, is set to begin this April in Carrick-on-Shannon, drawing on personal memory and local heritage to revive the tradition of hand knitting.

The workshops will be led by Patricia O’Reilly, who is inspired by the legacy of her mother, Rose Hartigan, and the knitting tradition that once sustained rural communities. Reflecting on that time, Patricia recalls how, in the 1950s and early 1960s, a small group of local women “created a cottage industry and an opportunity for social connection and support,” often without realising the significance of what they were building.

Her mother, Rose Hartigan, travelled to Spiddal, Co. Galway, to learn how to craft garments for export. On her return, she began holding knitting classes in Kilnagross old primary school on Monday evenings, passing on her skills to local women. Together, they produced quality hand-knit garments, while also benefiting from “much-needed extra money” and the companionship that came with working and learning side by side.

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Patricia remembers not just the craft itself, but the social world that surrounded it — knitters visiting one another’s homes, sharing patterns, stories and time. As she notes, something deeper has been lost with the decline of these traditions: not only the skills, but also the imagination and freedom to create, adapt and interpret stitches in personal ways.

“Traditional Aran knitting is a powerful ambassador for our cultural heritage,” she says, “carrying generations of knowledge, skill and quiet storytelling.” Yet today, she feels that this tradition is increasingly at risk, replaced by machine-made production and disconnected from the community life that once sustained it.

Stories in Stitches aims to respond to this by creating a space where people can gather, learn and create together once again. Patricia hopes to “rekindle not only the craft itself, but also the imagination, connection and sense of shared heritage that have always been at its heart.”

The eight-week workshop series will take place on Thursday evenings at The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon, beginning on April 9th, and will cater for all levels. The beginner class is designed for those starting out or returning to knitting, covering core techniques such as casting on, knit and purl stitches, cables and shaping. Participants will also have the chance to experiment with yarn, colour and design, discovering the creative possibilities within simple techniques.

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For more experienced knitters, the advanced class offers a more expressive approach. Participants will be encouraged to create textile pieces inspired by their own lives and heritage, using Aran-style knitting as a storytelling medium. As Patricia describes it, these works are “not painted or written in words, but in yarn and stitches,” with each piece becoming part of a larger narrative shaped by memory, imagination and tradition.

The completed works will be brought together in a special exhibition in the Jury Room at The Dock during Heritage Week in August, celebrating both the craft and the stories it carries.

Patricia also draws on her own memories of Kilnagross — “the wood of the cross” — in her work. She recalls stories told in school of St. Monaghan and his followers, and the place where three townlands and three parishes meet by the river. These memories, along with images of the landscape, school life and community, are translated into stitch: a cross woven into the fabric, trees nestling beneath, a flowing cable representing the river, and an owl symbolising learning and wisdom. There is also a tribute to Flynn’s Post Office and shop, remembered as “the heart of the community,” where news, supplies and connection to the wider world were shared.

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Through Stories in Stitches, Patricia O’Reilly hopes to honour her mother’s legacy and ensure that these skills — and the stories woven through them — are not lost, but passed on to a new generation.

Those interested in taking part can contact Patricia at 086 8628069 or poreillyglebe@yahoo.ie