Irish Carpet
Irish Carpet or Irish Rug is one of the western rugs that woven in Ireland.
From the middle to late eighteenth century carpets primarily of the Wilton type were woven in Ireland.[1]
| Irish Carpet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Name | Irish Carpet |
| Original name | فرش ایرلند، قالی ایرلند |
| Alternative name(s) | Irish Rug |
| Origin |  Irish |
| Technical information | |
History
Ireland is an island country located in the Atlantic Ocean in northwestern Europe. In 1541 Ireland became a kingdom under England's Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547). Great Britain continued its rule over this land for centuries until Irish independence in 1922.
The first carpet weaving workshop was established in Donegal County under the direction of the Scottish textiles manufacturer Alexander Morton & Company, in 1898. Donegal carpets were subsidized and labor was cheap compared to English workers, so the company was able to produce handwoven carpets of good quality, coloration, and design. The British government provided financial assistance to promote a new weaving industry in the mostly agricultural region. Factories housing looms were built in a number of locations, notably in Killybegs, near Donegal Bay.
In the 1900s Irish nationalism started to take hold throughout the country. Artists began to incorporate their Irish identity into decorative crafts, such as carpets and embroideries. From 1902 to 1908 the Dun Emer Guild established a crafts studio that produced rugs and carpets on a limited scale. The guild was based in Dundrum, near the city of Dublin, and Dun Emer Guild Carpets bear Celtic influences in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau styles.
Today Ireland continues to make handmade carpets in Donegal County for the open market. They are mainly commissioned by private clients and institutions in Ireland and Great Britain.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Abraham Levi Moheban. 2015. The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.
- Peter F. Stone. 2013. Oriental Rugs: An Illustrated Lexicon of Motifs, Materials, and Origins. North Clarendon :Tuttle.