Trace of lace

Ireland is known for its literary icons and their pithy turns of phrase.

You’ll sense Yeats’s love and longing in lines such as “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams” printed on coasters, calendars and fridge magnets. Or you’ll find yourself smiling at Wilde’s wit in “I am not young enough to know everything.”

You can read and hear the greats across Ireland, even quoted by the inebriated in pubs. But, of course, apart from their poetic pursuits, their love of whiskey ( uisce beatha or ‘water of life’ in Gaelic) and an inimitable sense of humour, the Irish also have a rich history of indigenous arts and crafts.

In the 12th century, the Anglo-Normans introduced Ireland to the potter’s wheel and pottery began on a large scale. But with time the art form faded into the background until, in the 19th century, there was a revival.

Visit the studio of one of Ireland’s most famous potters, Nicholas Mosse, in Kilkenny, and see swatches of the countryside painted on tableware. With the bronze age came metallurgy. Today, jewellery designers such as Martina Hamilton, in Sligo, capture the Wild Atlantic Way — through the shapes of waves and shells — on earrings and pendants.

I take a liking to a craft that’s a tad closer to our times; in the 19th century, lace-making was a cottage industry. I am instantly thrown back into that era as I enter The Sheelin Antique Irish Lace Museum & Store in the village of Bellanaleck, County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland, which is a part of the UK.

All around me are see-through wedding gowns, crocheted bags with pearl tassels, mesh bonnets dressed with plumes, and more. Stacks of lace kerchiefs and doilies line the shelves and there are porcelain dolls dressed in lace gowns.

The store is a fantasy in white, with the occasional twinkle from vintage jewels adorning delicate fabric. I look for the tags to see just how old the items are. Almost on cue, owner Rosemary Cathcart emerges and explains that they date anywhere from 1850 to the 1920s. She sources most of the items from auctions.

Though not formally trained in the textile arts, Cathcart had always nurtured a love for all types of needlework. She says, “I bought a small piece of antique Irish lace, and that’s when I decided that this would be a lovely thing to collect.” And so she started Sheelin, close to 20 years ago.

Ever since, this one-of-a-kind lace mecca has been giving the niche art form a boost, while educating visitors on the age-old trade.

It turns out that the extravagant fabric has a deep connection with poverty. Lace-making helped women add to household income during Ireland’s Great Famine (1845-52). It is said that nuns set up schools and workshops in different parts of Ireland, training women in the art. Different cities and counties are said to have specialised in particular designs and stitches. Even families created their own motifs and methods.

In Sheelin, I look closely at the different types: Some remind me of paper découpage; others have a sieve-like mesh holding together floral patterns. Plaques tell me more about the needlework. I read of two types of Limerick lace, named after the region in Ireland. The Limerick run lace had running stitch embroidered onto net using a needle. The Limerick tambour featured a chain stitch using a hook. The Irish crochet lace imitated the Venetian point lace. County Cork gave us Youghal lace, named after the seaside town. This was one of the most intricate forms, made of very fine cotton or linen thread.

Though located in Northern Ireland, Sheelin takes me through the history, art and culture of the entire region, oblivious to lines drawn on a map. The Youghal lace got a royal seal of approval after a train was ordered for Queen Mary in 1911, to wear on her visit to India. Soon enough, aristocrats across Europe wanted it too, and the lace began travelling to France, Italy and beyond.

Further inside the Sheelin store and museum, I find a magnificent display of vintage bridal gowns. Some have a fitted lace bodice, others have voluminous lace trails. I feel like I’ve stepped onto the sets of a period drama. And it comes as no surprise that Irish lace has been snapped by the paparazzi; the Carrickmacross lace featured on the wedding gowns of Princess Diana and Kate Middleton.

However, despite making the occasional headline, the heyday of Irish lace came to an end in the early 20th century. Ornate garments went out of fashion. And with industrialisation, women sought opportunities with greater pay.

Today, the efforts of design councils and a handful of enthusiasts such as Cathcart keep lace-making alive. Visit this unique museum-store and do your bit by taking back an ‘artefact’.

Kiran Mehta is a journalist based in Mumbai

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