The new year brings with it a wealth of opportunity. A time for new ideas, new goals and new adventures in the year ahead. As we enter 2023 and prepare ourselves for another 12 months around the sun, we have been reflecting on our Irish ancestral traditions, the ways in which the Irish landscape welcomes in the new and sheds the old, and how we can take inspiration, knowledge and magic from every facet of that rich Irish history.
As you may know, Ireland is filled to the brim with mythology, storytelling and remnants of our pagan past that reveals itself through monuments, the land and the traditions our families have kept alive throughout the years. It’s easy to see why so many people from across the globe flock to Ireland annually to soak up the treasures of our history and bask in the landscape’s power and magic.
One of the places that welcomes at least 200,000 people annually is Newgrange. Newgrange is a sacred and protected historical site in County Meath, that is home to a Stone Age Neolithic monument. It’s known as the jewel in the crown of Ireland’s ancient east and it’s easy to see why so many travel from far and wide to see it with their own eyes. Newgrange was constructed about 5,200 years ago (3,200 B.C.) which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. As you can imagine, archaeologists and history buffs have spent decades trying to unearth the monument’s secrets. Though we can never truly know what happened in this fascinating site, we do know that it was used as a tomb and we know that on the morning of the winter solstice, a beautiful beam of light fills the normally pitch black tomb and fills the tomb with the light of the winter sun for a few moments of magic.
When deciding what to name our new Aran sweater, we had to choose Newgrange. One of the things that excites us about our knitwear and the Aran Woollen Mills ethos, is that we’re preserving an important part of Irish heritage. We’re honouring the land that shapes us. We’re respecting historical practices and bringing those methods forward into our modern world. We feel connected to the land, to Newgrange and to the magic that Ireland holds for thousands of people across the world, and our knitwear is a way for you to do the same.
For this new year, we have crafted an Aran sweater that embodies a perfect medley of traditional Aran stitches and the wonder of a new Ireland, with a beautiful crew neck cut, crafted with 100% Merino wool. We understand that the Newgrange Aran Sweater is not just made for the coming year, but for many years after that, just like the Irish landscape and the beauty of our long lasting history. Lovingly designed with Honeycomb, Moss and Cable stitching, you have the opportunity to carry with you Ireland’s rich history, love for mythology and the power and magic of the emerald isle we love so dearly.
So from everyone here at Aran Woollen Mills, we’d like to take this opportunity to say happy new year. We’re super excited about the year ahead and what it will bring for us and we’re delighted to bring you this beautiful new piece. The Aran tradition says that the Honeycomb stitch will bring the wearer abundance, the Moss stitch will bring positive growth and the Cable stitch signifies luck and safety. We hope your new Newgrange Aran Sweater brings you all of that and more, and we cannot wait to see how you style it.
Make sure to tag us in your photos on social media!
Let’s make this year a good one.
