The Galway Wool Co-op
Farmer-owned cooperative
We are a farmer-owned and run co-operative supplying Galway Wool an Irish-grown bio-fibre. Galway Wool is rare heritage wool, grown with care and pride from our native Irish Breed of Sheep. Our farmers, who are proud of their Irish heritage, know that healthy sheep are happy and productive animals. We work with care and compassion, to shepherd our flocks in tandem with nature. All our wool comes from Pure Bred Galway Sheep that have a Registered Pedigree, ensuring our partners are producing and creating with authentic Native Irish Wool.
What is so amazing about working with Irish wool? Farm to fold is the future
If any/ what have been your challenges with working with Irish wool and a local way of working? Bringing the consumer on a journey about locally grown wool is an amazing opportunity sadly many believe their woollen goods designed locally are spun from local wool when it is imported wool and marketed as locally grown.
What gauge of Knitwear do you sell? i.e fine gauge 10-12gg or more chunky knits such as 7-5gg We are currently selling wool in the grease suitable for all gauge types.
What weaving looms do you use and how many do you have? All our wool is suitable for weaving.
Do you finish onsite? If not, is it convenient or what would be your ideal situation? Having products produced or finished in Ireland made from locally grown Heritage Galway is a big difficulty for us. Strong Irish Wool is ideally suited to worsted spinning and currently, in Ireland, we have no worsted spinning mill.
Do you find a lot of pushback in the industry in terms of working with Irish wool? YES.
Do you find that customers are becoming more interested in Irish wool? For centuries there has been huge interest in Irish Wool, with the ICONIC Aran sweater having international recognition, however putting heritage Irish Wool back into Aran Sweaters is a great challenge as the consumer has for many years not been aware that the current Aran wool sweater is predominantly imported wool or synthetic fibre. Irish tweed was traditionally woven from Irish Lowland Sheep's wool and is now also manufactured with imported wool, so having tweed and knitwear available from locally grown Irish Heritage Galway will be a great way to offer the consumer choice.
Do you have any hero farmers or people in your supply chain you would like to highlight? The Coop is made up of many heroes, who prepare their wool for processing, rolled, clean and dagg-free. Each of them proudly cares for their very rare Native Irish Galway breed with kindness and compassion.