The Galway Wool Co-op expects to have in the region of 5,000kgs of heritage Galway Wool for sale and offer farmers a price of €2.50/kg at its annual Meitheal this Saturday (July, 20).
The annual harvest event, known as the Meitheal, will bring buyers, sellers and artists ,who use the rare Irish Galway wool, under one roof, for one day at Athenry livestock mart.
Blátnaid Gallagher, secretary of the Galway Wool co-op, told Agriland that each fleece for sale will come from a pure-bred registered Galway sheep and that the event is also an opportunity to highlight why it is important to protect the heritage of this pedigree breed.
“This is a direct route to market for native Irish Galway wool – for buyers it is transparent right back to farms and it is about giving a fair price to the farmers.
“The wool will be inspected and weighed at the Meitheal and once it passes inspection then farmers will get a premium price for their clean wool.
“It is very important to the co-op to ensure that farmers are getting a good price – they produce an environmentally sustainable premium wool, they deserve a price that respects that product and the co-op believes there is huge potential for Irish Galway wool,” Gallagher added.
It is estimated that there are just 3,000 Galway sheep but she believes the breed has received a boost from its inclusion in the Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme (ACRES).
Galway wool
The 2024 Meitheal, whose main sponsored is Donegal Yarns, will include an exhibition of 30 artists who actively use Galway wool in their work from fashion design to textile art, interior design and fine art.
According to Gallagher this demonstrates the “flexibility” of the wool.
But she is disappointed that Irish Galway wool still has to contend with imported wool in its own home marketplace and believes there is an “education” project needed to communicate how Galway wool can effectively replace imports.
“We can show the provenance of our wool, its traceability, its sustainability and we would really welcome more people in the sector to embrace its potential which would be both socially and economically beneficial to rural Ireland as well,” she said.