An Túirne

An Túirne

Keeping the thread alive in a thatched cottage at the base of Dún Aonghasa, Rosemary Faherty continues an eight-generation tradition of hand-knitting Aran jumpers. As An Post celebrates the craft on stamps, she reflects on what it means to work with wool shaped by family memory.

On Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands, Rosemary Faherty sits with wool and needles, continuing a conversation that began eight generations ago. Her shop An Túirne (The Spinning Wheel) is a tourist magnet at the base of Dún Aonghasa in Kilmurvey village. Here, the art of hand-knitting Aran jumpers is practised daily, shipped worldwide, and now celebrated on a set of stamps from An Post that recognise this as heritage still in motion.

When Rosemary and her husband Andrew opened An Túirne in 1994, they established more than a business. “Opening the shop was one of the most rewarding decisions we ever made,” says Rosemary. “What began as a small business grew into something far more meaningful than a livelihood. It allowed us to share island culture with people from all over the world while remaining rooted in our community.

“Running the business as a family strengthened our relationships and gave us a shared sense of purpose,” Rosemary adds. “There were long days and challenges, particularly during quieter seasons, but the satisfaction of welcoming customers makes the hard work worthwhile. Financially, An Túirne provided stability, but its true reward lay in the pride we felt in preserving a traditional way of life and passing those values to the next generation.”

Eight Generations In Every Stitch

Rosemary’s connection to Inis Mór runs through centuries. “When I’m knitting an Aran jumper today, the island means everything to me,” she explains. “I’m continuing a tradition that was shaped by my family who lived on the island. Hand-knitting connects me to the generations before me who worked with their hands out of necessity and pride, and it reminds me of the responsibility I have to honour that heritage.”

Rosemary’s childhood memories hold the full cycle of wool work. “In my grandmother and great-grandmother’s generation, brushing and spinning the wool by hand was part of everyday life. It was slow physical work. We now rely on mills for washing and spinning, which ensures consistency and saves time. However, the heart of the craft hasn’t changed. I still choose the wool carefully, feel its quality, and remain closely involved in how it’s hand-knit.”

Knitting From Memory 

According to Rosemary, knitting without a written pattern feels very natural to her, almost instinctive. “I know how the jumper would sit on the body, how the patterns flow, and how many stitches are needed for the size of the jumper. I can feel when a cable needs to be changed or when it’s time to shift the pattern to keep the piece of the knit in harmony. So it’s a blend of memory and knowledge. The hand-knit jumper grows organically. Each piece is familiar yet never exactly the same, and that’s part of the beauty of hand-knitting this way.”

Rosemary wants visitors to An Túirne to grasp a fundamental truth about the craft. “I hope they leave understanding that our knitting isn’t a fixed language - it’s a living conversation,” she explains. “I hope they see that the patterns were shaped by function, warmth, flexibility and durability.”

From Inis Mór To The World

An Túirne ships Aran jumpers across the globe, and for Rosemary this worldwide reach creates a particular kind of connection. “Someone out in the world is wearing something shaped by Atlantic weather island rhythms and hands that know that place. That’s the islands traveling without being diluted, but it’s also bringing the world back to the Aran Islands. For shipping, An Post is great and we use the service all the time.”

An Post’s celebration of Aran jumpers on stamps confirms for Rosemary that her craft isn’t museum work. “It says this belongs to everyday life, not just memory,” Rosemary reflects. “The stamps recognise something that still carries meaning, not just as folklore or costume but as a living practice that continues to adapt, travel and speak. There is also something deeply right about the pairing: wool shaped by hands, and stamps shaped by a national story.”

Fragile Craft

The An Túirne shop is extensive and stocks machine-knit garments too, and Rosemary is keenly aware of the vulnerability of the hand-knitting craft. “I inherited skills that for a long time were passed hand to hand, without anyone thinking to name them as heritage. They were just what you did. The craft still exists but it’s fragile. We have about twenty hand-knitters between the three Aran Islands and a few from the mainland connected to the island. My mum and myself and my family still hand-knit. My daughter is a primary school teacher who knows the skill and occasionally teaches the skill of hand-knitting to her pupils. Hopefully, there will be another generation of hand-knitters.”

The An Túirne shop is located at Kilmurvey on Inis Mór, and the business also trades online at https://www.aranislandssweaters.com. The An Post Aran Jumper stamps launch this month, celebrating Aran heritage and enterprise.