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Saturday, September 13th 2025 in our Blarney Store
We proudly celebrated the golden jubilee of Blarney Woollen Mills, marking 50 years since its revival.
50th Anniversary
Saturday, September 13th 2025 in our Blarney Store
We proudly celebrated the golden jubilee of Blarney Woollen Mills, marking 50 years since its revival.
Our history in five decades
Blarney Woollen Mills has proudly stood as a beacon of Irish tradition. What began as a humble family-run business has grown into a symbol of quality, warmth, and timeless design. As we mark 50 years, we invite you to walk through our story - and celebrate with us in Blarney.
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1970s
Where It All Began
In 1975, Blarney Woollen Mills, a name now synonymous with fine Irish craftsmanship, rose from the quiet ashes of the historic Mahony's Mills, a casualty of changing times that had shuttered two years prior. The revival was the vision of a local man, Christy Kelleher, who had begun his working life within those very walls as a thirteen-year-old apprentice.
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1980s
Growing the Thread
It took until the early 80's before Christy and his family saw their fledgling business thrive becoming a cultural ambassador, offering a slice of home to Irish abroad and visitors alike.
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1990s
Family & Fabric
Following the death of Christy Kelleher in 1991, his family carried on his entrepreneurial spirit by acquiring knitwear brand Fisherman Out of Ireland in the same year. This new venture, based in County Donegal, complemented the family's ongoing expansion of their Blarney Woollen Mills stores throughout Ireland. The establishment of Fisherman Out of Ireland, a company dedicated to contemporary Irish-made knitwear, ensured the continuation of a proud textile tradition.
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2000s
Online, Onward
The advent of Blarney.com signaled a curious new chapter in the life of the old mill, an era in which its trove of Irish heritage could be dispatched not by the cartload but by the click. The experience of the place - the scent of lanolin, the sheer density of handcrafted objects under one rambling roof - was now to be summoned on screens in far-flung locales.
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2010s-
2020sCraft with a Conscience
Aran Sweater Experience opens - four knitting machines, modest in number but immense in symbolism, have been installed, their rhythmic chatter a faint but discernible echo of the past. After nearly half a century of silence, the sound of knitting has returned to Blarney. This is not a return to the industrial scale of the Mahony brothers' era; it is a more intimate, curated affair. Here, in the heart of the old mill, visitors can watch the intricate components of a sweater - a sleeve, a collar, a cabled front - take shape on these specialized machines before skilled artisans hand-link the pieces together.
"It wasn't just about selling wool - it was about preserving something truly Irish."
- Christy Kelleher
More than knitwear
Make a day of it.
Our on-site facilities include a restaurant and bar offering a comprehensive menu.
Plan your visit
Opening Hours
Monday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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