Aaaaah now I understand why you were asking about Barcelona!
I love his shop, and the beauuuuutiful designs! Will definitely have to visit next time I'm in Barcelona.
I do wonder why Ireland doesn't have a leather industry? We have the cows for dairy and (I presume) meat production, but why is their skin not utilised for leather as well? Seems wasteful to me not to make use of all the possibilities of the animal, given the fact that they require so many resources (both financial for the farmers and environmental as an industry) to be farmed.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed the article. Ireland does produce a huge amount of meat and dairy cows each year; there were small tanneries dotted around the country, the sites of which are probably still toxic. Ireland never really reached the level of industry of bigger countries like the UK or Spain, which saved us from a lot of environmental destruction. By the 1930s, we had a few big mills, like Irish Leathers in Carrick on Suir but by the late eighties, a mere nine people were involved in tanning in Ireland. Leather has experienced a similar collapse to wool, in terms of skills and economic value.
The premium Spanish leather has only survived through reputation, marketing and government assistance.
Might be time for me to start looking for people crafting with Irish leather!
I mean, I am aware of the environmental impact the meat & dairy industries have. And I am a vegetarian myself. But I am also aware that it's not realistic to just make the whole industry disappear overnight. My solution would be to give farmers real supports to transition to holistic grazing, which can actually help sequester more carbon than it emits. And set up vegetable tanneries to make the whole production circular. So, yes, we need Irish leather crafters!
Aaaaah now I understand why you were asking about Barcelona!
I love his shop, and the beauuuuutiful designs! Will definitely have to visit next time I'm in Barcelona.
I do wonder why Ireland doesn't have a leather industry? We have the cows for dairy and (I presume) meat production, but why is their skin not utilised for leather as well? Seems wasteful to me not to make use of all the possibilities of the animal, given the fact that they require so many resources (both financial for the farmers and environmental as an industry) to be farmed.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed the article. Ireland does produce a huge amount of meat and dairy cows each year; there were small tanneries dotted around the country, the sites of which are probably still toxic. Ireland never really reached the level of industry of bigger countries like the UK or Spain, which saved us from a lot of environmental destruction. By the 1930s, we had a few big mills, like Irish Leathers in Carrick on Suir but by the late eighties, a mere nine people were involved in tanning in Ireland. Leather has experienced a similar collapse to wool, in terms of skills and economic value.
The premium Spanish leather has only survived through reputation, marketing and government assistance.
Might be time for me to start looking for people crafting with Irish leather!
I mean, I am aware of the environmental impact the meat & dairy industries have. And I am a vegetarian myself. But I am also aware that it's not realistic to just make the whole industry disappear overnight. My solution would be to give farmers real supports to transition to holistic grazing, which can actually help sequester more carbon than it emits. And set up vegetable tanneries to make the whole production circular. So, yes, we need Irish leather crafters!