COTTAGE INDUSTRIES IN DONEGAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XV, Issue 25, 14 October 1887, Page 15

COTTAGE INDUSTRIES IN DONEGAL.

In the course of a recent interview, Mrfl. Hart, a lady who has done so much to revive the fast expiring cottage industries in Donegal, and whose efforts in this direction have been crowned with such remarkable success, gave a most satisfactory account of the success which has attended the undertaking in which she is engaged. When she first devoted her energies to the resuscitation of home industries in Donegal she found that the class of articles made by the people there was very primitive and pimple. Nothing in the way of cloths was woven except what is known as white flannel, and this was only made by the people for their own use, as they had no means of dieposing of their workmanship, and even if they could find purchasers the cost of transit completely precluded the poor peasants from effecting sales. Now, however, not only this class of cloth is manufactured in perfection, but beautiful tweeds of every pattern and colour are made to such a large extent, that Mrs. Hart finds herself unable to execute all the ordeis she has received. Her goods are very largely patronised by English houses, and, in fact, her best customers are in London and not in Dublin or Belfast. Mrs. Hart has long felt that if she had the means of giving the vi'lagers proper instructions in the several arts pertaining to weaving the success of these cottage industries would be immensely augmented, and with this view she exerted herself to obtain a Government grant to enable her to establish a system of technical education in Donegal. In this she happily succeeded. The grant has been promised, and Mrs. Hart is taking steps to have her idea carried out. Whenever there are a sufficient number of weavers anJ spinners she wants to establish a centre of industry where schools can be opened for instructing the people in what are termed " village arts," which include weaving, spinning, yarn-making, knitting, embroidery, and other kmdred occupations. With a view to having all in readiness for the establishment of these schools when the proper time arrives. Mrs. Hart has, by the assistance of the Bishop of Kaphoe and the clergy of the district, procurgd the census of the population available and willing to receive instruction. The names of 3,300 spinneis and 148 weavers are enrolled aa anxious to participate in the benefit of the schools, and |hese numbers give Mr 3. Hart the greatest encouragement. She looks upon the fact as an instance of the willinguess of thp liish peasants to better themselves, and she &ays that her experience of these honest people in Donegal has convinced her of the falsity of the allegations one so commonly hears that the Irish Tace are an idle, lazy, race, utterly indifferent to progress. Mrs. Hart showed specimens of the work done by the people of Donegal, and certainly no finer, more beautiful, or more serviceable fabrics could be manufactured by any artisans, however skilled they might be. As an instance of the large scale on which the Donegal industries aie carried out, Mrs. Hart mentioned that, whereas last year her spinners in one particular village numbered twenty-two, there are now ninetynine of them there ; and during this month alone no less than a ton of wool has been sent down to her workers. Besides the making of cloth, the people are being taught the manufacture of yarns and linene, and Mrs. Hart has many samples of beautiful stockings, the work of her villagers. Kells laces, coloured torchon laces, and fancy work of various kinds are being put into the bands of the cottagers with the most sati factory results. Mrs. Hart contemplates having classes for instruction in Kells embroidery, a very beautiful specks of work, formed in various parts of Ireland, and she believes that much benefit will accrue to every class of popular industry from the starting of these technical schools.