Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-04-03
IRISH HOMESPUNS.
The Peasants Are Making Wooden
Cloth for ROYALTY

SioAi ibi FNOJdihJ.
In the little matched cottage at
Donegal and COnnemara looms and
spinning wheels are busy manufactur-
ing homespuns for royal wearers. The
kings and queens of Europe have de-
cided that these manufactures are fit
for court attire, and the peasants of
the north and west of Ireland are
reaping a golden harvest.
Two years ago Queen Victoria Or
dered a large quantity of Irish home
made woolens. This Immediately Gre
ated an outside interest in the goods
and a few weeks sufficed to set all
The idle looms in motion. Orders are
now being received from every city in
Europe, and several lots have been
exported to the United States A
large order recently came to Persia,
and even in Australia the hOmespm is
not unknown. The peasants are rap
idly becoming prosperous compared
with their circumstances a few years
ago. The new market for their goods
facture, so that while royalty faunts
the hOmeSpun the cOtters are content
with the cheaper mill article.
For hundreds of years the peasantry
Of Ireland clothed themselves in gar
ments of their own manufacture. Less
than fifty years ago no wedding was
complete without a spinning wheel
heading the list of presents from the
parents of the bride. Even in poor
old Ireland" however, machinery has
made such strides that had Queen Vic
tOria delayed much longer in placing
the first royal order for the homeSpun
the sound of the loom would not now
be heard in the land. AS it is. old
wheels are being busted and removal
ed; fingers that had almost forgotten
the duties required of them are being
quickened to work again, and young
hands are rapidly becoming expert
with practice. The workers are quite
as interesting as the study of the
cloth they manufacture, and their
to the tourist
Donegal is the center of the present
activity in homespun circles, and the
cottages along the mountain sides are
filled with the hum of busy workers.
The entire family spend the winter
months at reel, wheel and loom. When
the days lengthen and the sun grows
more genial, work On the little patch
OF ground necessitates decrease in
their production Potatoes must be
planted, few cabbage plants "dib-
bled'' in the ridges and a rood or two
of oats "trenched." Then follows the
haymaking season, with it's delightful
weather and cloudless sky. No mat
ter how many orders royalty may send
for homespun, these hardy hill folks
will take things aisy in summer
days" These simple peasantry live
to please themselves, and their pleas
ure is usually the fulfillment of a gen
eral desire to take their own time for
doing things. They like the sunshine
pastures and the moss covered banks;
there is something in the whitethorn
that calls them to the hedgerow when
it is white with blossoms, and not for
gold would they miss the small birds
chorus. Therefore it follows that the
homespun harvest will be reaped only
when the rain beats pitilessly on the
roof and the wind means and groans
in the wicker chimney
a cottage owning a loom may al
ways be known by its unusual length
The loom fills one end of the cottage.
which is only one story in height.
Additional floor space for spinning
wheels makes a greatly increased
frontage necessary. This - done at
the expense OF proportion And gives