West End Knitwear
The village of Monasterevin in the county of Kildare, Ireland is the home of West End Knitwear Ltd. The company was originally established by Molly Cullen in 1957, after creating beautiful Aran designs with her mother and grandmother for many years. Molly’s dream was to incorporate a family knitting business whose heritage stretched back for over 100 years. Molly is the granddaughter of Kate O’Shea, who, in 1856, was the first craftswoman in Ireland to commercially market her robust, hand knitted woollens. Molly Cullen recognised a market for fashionable Aran style knitwear and established West End Knitwear Ltd in her home village of Monasterevin.
Proud to keep the tradition alive, West End Knitwear Ltd was continued by Molly’s sons Paul and John Cullen who saw the opportunity to incorporate the best traditional aspects of their mother’s Aran sweaters into modern and fashionable styles. These new styles we would come to recognise as the benchmark for modern Aran cable knit sweaters.
Today it is the biggest knitwear manufacturer in Ireland, with a vibrant workforce under Molly’s grandsons Niall and Barry Cullen. As the designers and producers of the finest quality Irish Aran Knitwear, our extensive range uses the traditional Irish Aran Stitches throughout our garments which are believed to bring luck, success and health to the wearer, ensuring we keep our long-treasured history of traditional Irish craft.
West End Knitwear is conscious of its roots in the past; however, the company has its eyes firmly focused on the future. From its situation in the west end of Europe it takes pride in being the first company to manufacture garments which were originally designed for those engaged in a rugged, outdoor life. Some of these garments have been adapted for modern worldwide markets and are worn by men and women with pride and pleasure.
Both our Aran Crafts and Nua collections are manufactured to the highest standards using the finest quality materials: merino wool, pure new wool, linen/cotton, cashmere and introducing new super-soft merino wool. We have a large capacity in 3 and 5 gauge knitting and we produce for customers own brand labels.
Irelands Eye Knitwear
Before there was a brand, there was one man in his garage in Dublin knitting sweaters to keep his family warm. His name was Jim O’Sullivan and his dream was to create a legacy with a business that his family could work in for generations. When a knitwear machine came up for sale he bought it and started teaching them how to use it and IrelandsEye Knitwear was born.
The O’Sullivan family are originally from Sutton in Dublin. The Irish for O’Sullivan is Ó Súilleabháin, which means ‘one-eyed’ and the island of Ireland’s Eye can be seen from the Sutton coast, which is how the name came about.
We set up our first factory in 1987 on the grounds of Sutton Castle Hotel, which was once the summer home of the Jameson Whiskey family. We started with six family members, initially manufacturing knitwear for other brands. We moved to larger premises in Malahide and then to Baldoyle Industrial Estate, where we are today. In 1994, we stopped contract development and started a new chapter by launching our own line... IrelandsEye Knitwear.
Our process has become much more automated over the years but, although we now have some very high-tech machines to help us knit our garments, we pride ourselves on the exceptional level of craftsmanship we bring to our pieces.
IrelandsEye Knitwear started with six family members in 1987 and our business has involved 3 generations of the same family. We now employ a team of 50 people in our 30,000 Sq. Ft. factory as part of our extended family and continue to produce high quality knitwear that we ship to customers all over the world.
Aran Woolen Mills
Aran Woollen Mills was originally established as Carraig Donn Trading in 1965 by Mrs Maura Hughes and her husband Padraig. A true trailblazer of her time, Mrs Hughes established a highly successful business in the rural West of Ireland, while raising 13 children. The Hughes family are very much integral to the family business today, with their passion for Aran craft continuing to steer the business forward.
For three generations since that humble first step, our family business has grown to become Ireland’s largest home-based Aran knitwear manufacturer. From Westport to the world, we are proud to be design-led global leaders in the manufacturing of traditional and contemporary Aran knitwear.
We love our knitwear and we have an appreciation for the craft and time that goes into making each piece, from yarn to design, and manufacturing to shipping. Passing through countless pairs of hands to ensure the highest quality finish, the craftsmanship of our workforce and their unique skillset is something we feel empowered to champion.
As a trusted manufacturer for decades we appreciate our customers growing expectations. With this in mind we now offer an extensive range to shop from with specific collections including men's, women's, homeware and accessories among others. We continue to develop and introduce new products as a forward-thinking, innovative brand. Our knitwear is versatile, appealing to a contemporary audience through both design and colour, while the traditional Aran classics ensure our heritage story continues to be told.
Our history is firmly rooted in the west of Ireland. One of the core values of our founder Mrs Hughes, was to keep the craft of Aran alive and create local employment.
Aran Woollen Mills continues to design and manufacture in Co. Mayo, with our improvements in these areas only matched by the same willingness to invest in our people. Our commitment to keeping the craft alive remains indisputable with the addition of a new manufacturing facility launched in Belmullet in 2021
Aran Woollen Mills operates with a dedication towards manufacturing entirely natural, long-lasting products from ethically-sourced materials. The benefits of wool signify this dedication the most with all our yarns being biodegradable, odorresistant, breathable, and body temperature controlling. Truly a natural, sustainable product.
We will continue to cherish and advocate our manufacturing in Ireland emphasis where our strive towards creating high-quality, heritage knitwear will endure. Our ongoing innovation with product developments will only be matched by our fundamental insistence on continuously using our natural and sustainable material, wool.