HOW OUR WOOL IS MADE?
Bonner of Ireland is nestled in the low hills of County Donegal in Ireland a few close miles to the village of Ardara. In a corner of Ireland, where low hills embrace the land, there lies a place, a haven of craft and tradition.
Ardara, a key commercial and market town on the N65, connects southwest and west Donegal. Its name, ‘Ard a’ Ratha’ (high hill of the fort), is derived from a nearby ancient ring-fort.
Donegal Yarns
We source our wool from local artisan wool producers: Donegal yarns. Set up in the 1970’s by the ‘Gaeltarra’ when they built a spinning mill in KIlcar which supplied tweed effect yarns to international and local craft industries. They were renamed to Donegal Tarns in 2008 to reflect their unique flecked/nepp effect yarns.
They operate a complete vertical production process from raw wool, through dyeing, blending, carding and spinning to a finished multi-colour flecked yarn targeted at the weaving, knitting and craft industries. All products are made in Ireland with production carried out in our wool spinning mill in Kilcar, Co Donegal, Ireland.
The Process
Bonner of Ireland is nestled in the low hills of County Donegal in Ireland a few close miles to the village of Ardara. In a corner of Ireland, where low hills embrace the land, there lies a place, a haven of craft and tradition.
Ardara, a key commercial and market town on the N65, connects southwest and west Donegal. Its name, ‘Ard a’ Ratha’ (high hill of the fort), is derived from a nearby ancient ring-fort.
Dyeing the wool
Dye house manager, Joseph O’Donnell dyes all the various recipes creating our unique colour palette. We use the local area to inspire our colour choices with the browns and red of the raised bogs and the green of hedgerows and forests.