My last visit to the Nano Nagle Place happened in September 2005, and my memories are blurred. The new Nano Nagle Place is a really interesting and inspiring architectural ensemble, with a modern entrance through a shop, gardens, an old graveyard, a museum, and not one, but two cafés.
In August, Friends of Lace Limerick were contacted in relation to the use of a photo of Limerick lace. The photo was to be included in the digital presentation available to see in the exhibition and online “Lace Revival in Ireland: Weaving Heritage into the Present”.
The exhibition includes some remarkable needle and crochet lace pieces coming from the collection of the Presentation Convent in Youghal.
We were told that the current exhibition will remain in place until August 2025.
In 1987, a pivotal chapter in the story of Youghal Lace unfolded. Sister Mary Coleman and Veronica Stuart, from Carrigaline, undertook a meticulous task. They unraveled a piece of Youghal Lace, delving deep into its intricate patterns and techniques to ensure the craft’s survival.
I have attempted to learn the first steps in Youghal lace the previous year, and I was keen on studying more pieces and meeting actual lacemakers. Veronica Stuart had an outstanding contribution to its revival in 1987, when together with sister Mary Coleman, they unraveled a piece of Youghal Lace and deciphered the various points.
We had met a few members of the Needle point lacemakers group from Youghal at different events, and I got permission to join the group on Wednesday, 11 December 2024, in the Youghal Library. The Library also has some exquisite Youghal lace pieces on exhibit.
The group gave me a very warm welcome and told me many interesting stories. The most interesting one was the one of the lace train gift made by Youghal lace-makers for Queen Mary to wear at the time of the Delhi Durbar (a mass assembly in Delhi to mark the coronation of the king and queen.) This train is said to be the largest lace creation ever – it contained 5,250, 000 stitches made from nearly 12 miles of thread.
The train was going to be gifted to the Queen on behalf of Northern Unionists. The Youghal lacemakers had the Gaelic reflection, ‘Deanta (made) in Eireann’ embroidered in the train. It was discovered, removed and replaced by a shamrock.
This is a recording of Bridgid Keane , who has been teaching Youghal lace since 1989. I had the honour to meet the lady and hear about the local efforts to establish a possible museum. She also showed me some exquisite pieces from her collection.
The video below shows some of the faces behind the lace – a rare feast, as so many lacemakers remain completely unknown. I found a lot of useful information on the Youghal Online website.
And this article by Erin Frumet uses the name Cork’s “Point de Venice” for Youghal lace.
The Cork Public Museum was entrusted with the storage and preservation of many patterns that were used by the Presentation Convent in Youghal.
The V&A has some impressive pieces of Youghal lace in its collection.
It was a bitterly cold day, and we stepped into the Tourist Information Centre, just to discovered there is a Heritage Centre next to it, which also has a few lace pieces on display.
