Kenmare lace

A tabernacle veil of Kenmare Lace (1911)

Kenmare Lace is a handmade needlepoint lace originally made in Kenmare, Ireland. In the 19th century, sisters of the Poor Clare convent introduced needlepoint lace to the women and girls of the locality.^[1][2] It was a response to the poverty that followed the Great Famine.^[3] The initiative was of immeasurable help to the people of the area in those difficult years.

Its subsequent success was due partly to the indigenous skills of the local girls, who were employed to make it and partly to the foresight and guidance of the nuns and also to the early recognition and support it got from influential people of the time.

A major factor in the success of Kenmare Lace was the introduction of its own designs.^[4] Through the co-operation of the Kensington school of Design in London and the Crawford School of Art in Cork a school of design was established in Kenmare. From this school came designs that won acclaim in exhibitions around the world.^[5] Kenmare Lace graced royal functions and liturgical occasions. It gained wide recognition and acclaim for its original designs and beautiful workmanship.

Poor Clare nuns who designed the lace (1889)

Eventually, economic factors brought about its decline and apparent demise until it was revived in 1989 by a local Co-Op in Kenmare. This came about when a local development association was formed and one of its members Nora Finnegan approached the nuns to ask them to again teach the lace to the locals. The nuns declined but offered instead to teach Nora who could instead teach the classes and so this tradition and its award-winning designs have not been lost and today they form the basis of the revival of the local skills.^[6] Kenmare Lace designs and pieces can still be seen in the Kenmare Heritage Centre and in the Kenmare Lace and Design Centre Upstairs.

References

External links

• Kenmare lace Website
• The Irish Lace Guild
• The History of Kenmare Lace
• Kenmare Lace

Lace types Needle lace Punto in Aria Point de Venise Point de France Alençon Argentan Argentella Armenian Halas lace Hollie Point Point de Gaze Kenmare Lace Pag Youghal Embroidered Buratto Reticella Limerick Filet/Lacis Needlerun net Tambour Ñandutí Teneriffe Cutwork Broderie Anglaise Carrickmacross Bobbin lace Mesh grounds Torchon Freehand Arras Bayeux Blonde Bucks point Chantilly Tønder Beveren Lille Binche Flanders Paris Valenciennes Antwerp Mechlin Guipure Genoese Bedfordshire Cluny Maltese Yak lace Part laces Honiton Bruges Brussels Rosaline Tape Milanese Hinojosa Russian Idrija Schneeberg Peasant Tape lace Mezzopunto Princess Renaissance Battenberg Romanian point Branscombe Crocheted lace Broomstick lace Irish crochet Hairpin Filet crochet Machine-made lace Bobbinet Leavers Pusher Barmen Curtain Machine Chemical Warp Knit   Metal laces Lace knitting Macramé Tatting Punto a groppo Sprang Media related to Lace at Wikimedia Commons Fashion portal Textile arts portal