We may spin some yarns, but we don't tell tall tales! The true keepers of the craft, we have been preserving the tradition of hand weaving since 1979, quietly, honestly, authentically. All our tweeds and throws are designed, hand woven and made in our mill in Kilcar, Co Donegal. All our garments are made here in our sewing room by our team of artisan garment makers. Our mill and shop is a little bit rustic, but it is real, a genuine working mill. All visitors are welcome to take a self guided tour of the works, where they can meet the team and see the works in progress. All our team members are proud of what we do and are happy to take time out to chat and answer any questions you may have. Honesty and authenticity is of the utmost importance to us, and what better way to show our authenticity than to allow visitors to see for themselves the 'behind the scenes' of our works. Proof if needed that we are not a 'demonstration' mill only, with a loom in the shop and mass produced product coming in the back door.
Owned and operated by the Donaghy family, it was originally set up by the now defunct Connemara Fabrics, who engaged Kevin Donaghy as manager. Connemara Fabrics had embraced machine weaving in the 1960's, but by the late 1970's sought to establish a 'wing' of the company to preserve the tradition of hand weaving. Kevin and his wife Wendy bought out the hand weaving section, which had been named 'Studio Donegal', when it was in danger of being closed as the entire textile industry faced difficulties in the 1980's.
Studio Donegal is now run by Kevin and Wendys son, Tristan, who is as passionate about the genuine hand made and genuine Irish made as his parents still are. Although retired, Kevin takes a keen interest in the business, even though he celebrated his 90th birthday this year, he still has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things woollen and textile related!
If you are seeking the true textile experience, then a visit to Studio Donegal is a must.