Aran's stitch in time

The Aran sweater is enjoying something of a revival after some lean times, thanks to fashion designers and Irish balladeers, writes Catherine Foley

THE ARAN JUMPER is imbued with iconic romantic symbolism. It has been viewed as a naff symbol of Oirishness, only worn by the likes of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, bone fide Irishmen who were marketing their ballad singing in the US. In more recent times, it's been re-invented as a source of great creative originality, inspiring designers such as the brilliant Lainey Keogh and the French genius Jean Paul Gaultier.

There was a falloff in its popularity when it became associated with those bus loads of returning American tourists fighting their way into Waterford Crystal and knitwear shops to get their hands on the cream-coloured knitwear, so that they could wear the jumpers like badges of honour and a testament to their Irish heritage. For many, this was the ultimate turn-off. The proliferation of central heating across the country didn't help the popularity of the heavy wool sweaters either.

Today, the Aran jumper is a badge of, well, of ironic chic as evidenced by the newly-launched traditional Irish ballad group, The High Kings, who are currently touring the US, wowing the critics and the crowds, complete with their báiníns and bodhráns. These young men, all the sons of musical families including the Clancys, the Fureys and the Dunphys, are once again investing the Aran with relevance and symbolism.

Anne O'Dowd, curator of a knitwear and drawings exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo, entitled Romantic Stitches and Realist Sketches, says that the báinín geansaí was exported in its thousands to shops all over the world, becoming an iconic symbol of Irishness and traditional folk art.

And contrary to popular belief, she says that the Aran jumper was not originally worn as a traditional geansaí by islanders off the west coast. According to this newly-opened exhibition about knitting in the west of Ireland, the Aran jumper was not worn on the Aran Islands until the 1930s and 1940s.

IT'S CLEAR FROM a series of sketches by the realist painter Seán Keating RHA that the islanders are not wearing Aran jumpers, says O'Dowd. They only began to wear the garment in the 1930s and 1940s, she says, explaining that "there's a huge amount of romance and folklore" surrounding the Aran jumper. The exhibition in Turlough Park explores some of these myths and associated stories.

Although the 11 sketches by Keating do not show men in Aran jumpers, the images were used by businessman Pádraig Ó Síocháin, of Galway Bay Products, to market the Aran knitwear worldwide during the 1960s and the 1970s. It was the image of the west of Ireland that Ó Síocháin wanted to portray, says O'Dowd. "He was a pure romantic", she says. Knitting Aran jumpers became a profitable industry in the 20th century.

Another individual who helped create part of the myth was Hans Kiewe, a German whose 1930s pamphlet, The Sacred History of Knitting, helped promote further romantic notions. "He decided they (the stitches) all had a sacred meaning," says O'Dowd. He believed that many were based on the Book of Kells, she says, adding, that although this could not be the case, "it's a great notion."

Kiewe believed that the knitting was "as old as early Celtic times". In fact, knitting in Ireland dates back to the 1600s when soldiers wore knitted socks and stockings. But Kiewe's opinion was part of the thinking that helped sell the notion of the Aran jumper around the world, she says.

The knitting of the Aran jumper began in the first years of the 20th century, says O'Dowd. "It was influenced by the knitters themselves, by visitors to the islands, including British fishermen, by emigrants returning home with ideas they had seen and learned while away, and by the marketing and business community." Fishermen from England and Scotland who came to Aran and the west coast of Ireland throughout the 1800s were wearing the fisherman's gansey, a patterned garment which was knit by both men and women. It was originally knit in dark blue.

O'Dowd points out that the beginning of the story of Aran knitwear remains as elusive today as it ever was and, while many have tried to unravel its secret, we can still only speculate on how it all developed and became so famous.

The first time the jumper was offered for sale outside the Aran Islands was in the early 1930s. Muriel Gahan, the founder of Country Workers Ltd and the Irish Homespun Society, offered Aran women money for their patterned jerseys. She provided the economic incentive and the women added the creativity, says O'Dowd. She helped the women to develop the craft. She was one of the key players in the development of the business. Her store on St Stephen's Green, the Country Shop, ran from the early 1930s to the late 1970s.

"She encouraged the knitters by recognising their talent and skill," says O'Dowd. "She persuaded them to continue to add new stitches and produce a unique product, which had both aesthetic appeal, and also comfort and style."

Pádraig Ó Síocháin was equally instrumental in developing the knitting industry. The lawyer-turned-businessman visited the Aran Islands in 1950 and became enchanted by the islands, according to O'Dowd. He took over the running and management of Galway Bay Products and started selling Aran jumpers around 1951.

He gave the knitters a ready outlet for their product in the 1960s and 1970s, building up a strong customer base in the US and selling throughout Europe and the UK. He was particularly successful in Japan.

THE EXHIBITION IN Turlough Park focuses on the unique marketing story of Aran knitwear as well as highlighting some of the traditions associated with the stitches. One jumper in the exhibit weighs 1,144 grams and was made to fit a 46" chest. It is the heaviest jumper on display. The wool used was called glas caorach or sheep's grey, a natural fleece colour, and it was knitted by Áine Ní Chonghaile, of Inis Oírr, in the late 1960s for Galway Bay Products.

There is artistry and craftsmanship aplenty in the exhibits on display. In one piece knitted by Eleanor de Stafford, from Wexford, stitches include a centre panel of honeycomb bordered by designs such as twisted cables, moss stitch filled diamonds and crab's claw. The only cardigan in the exhibition was knitted in the 1940s. The patterns front and back are predominantly zig zags and bobbins. The cuffs are extra long and consist of moss and cabled rib.

The myth of the Aran jumper grew out of a romantic idea about Irishness. Today, irony and cynicism aside, watch for it as it appears, yet again, on the catwalks and the "what's hot" lists around the world.

• Romantic Stitches and Realist Sketches continues at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, until the end of October