My Spinning Wheel

As a previous winner of the ‘Relearning Skills from Our Heritage’ award in 2020, I am continuing this work by keeping traditional skills alive and passing them on to the next generation. For this project, I undertook the restoration of a spinning wheel originally made in 1937 by local carpenters.

As one of the last remaining spinning wheel makers in Ireland I felt an eagerness to uptake this restoration. It represents a traditional skill, local craftsmanship and a connection to the people who made and used it. The owner of the wheel inherited it from her grandmother, who had used it to spin wool. Restoring the wheel brought back a piece of traditional heritage, while at the same time completes an important family story. The wheel is now working again, allowing it to be used and enjoyed by the next generation.

There is a huge renewed interest in spinning, weaving and working with natural fibres, and I am keen to encourage this. As a third-generation maker, it is particularly important to me that the knowledge and skills I have inherited are not lost.

For me, this project demonstrates that heritage is something that can be actively used, shared and passed on. By restoring this wheel to working order, involving the next generation and sharing the skills behind it, I hope to contribute in a small way to ensuring that the craft of spinning wheel making, and the wider traditions of spinning and working with natural fibres continue into the future.

I am doing a spinning demonstration in Glenveagh national park on Friday, 21st August.