Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland

This is the story of a group of young weavers in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking part of Donegal, who with the help of village elders formed a tapestry weaving cooperative called Taipéis Gael. It features accounts of the various processes involved in weaving; as well as interviews with weavers, spinners and dyers; and it features 103 colour photographs of tapestries. It brings into focus key aspects of our heritage and shows how traditional skills were adopted to produce modern tapestries of great beauty and originality. Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland contributes to the preservation of regional culture in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking sections of western Ireland. Traditional methods of wool production are presented, along with folklore, myth and local archaeology which influences the weavers' practices, tapestry design, self-perceptions and identities as artists and mentors within their communities.