Quote Originally Posted by Pleater View Post
The whole concept of the Arran sweaters (I think it was originally Arran) was 'developed' by a man wanting something to sell to the tourists.
Nope, Arran is in Scotland, the Aran Islands (where the jumpers come from) are off the Galway coast.
For more information about the postulated origins,
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fas...nal/index.html
Quote Originally Posted by Pleater View Post
The white versions were worn for church, though incoming ministers not knowing the local ways were responsible for getting rid of it in some places as they saw it as not respectful and declared the the men should wear shirt and jacket. Its place as a garment for the groom, and for first communions, lingered on, with grandma's embarrassing their grandsons with gifts of lovingly crafted white jerseys for decades.
Not too many ministers on the Aran Islands :-) (apparently, there is the ruin of one protestant church though) though I agree about being forced to wear embarrassing jumpers as a kid, a very Irish thing!